After attending mass at the church, we ate dinner at Theo Yianni's, and then we proceeded to the Chapel Hill Cemetery to visit loved ones ( my husband's parents and two brothers.) We usually visit my FIL on special occasions when he was still around and this was the first time that we celebrated without him so we went to the cemetery to visit them.
I had to take my shoes off because it was slushy and muddy due to the rain from previous days.
I wish that I could have met my MIL but I wasn't able to come before she passed. I did talk to her on the phone when I was still in my country and she seemed really nice.
It's sad to think that my FIL won't be around anymore for my children's graduations and other occasion but I hope that he would be looking down still.
I am thankful for the gift of life, for my children, for my husband and for the good life we live here on earth. I pray that I would still be around to witness my children's different stages in life and hope to see grandchildren in the future. My prayer for Mother's Day is that, may the good Lord blessed my children good health and may they grow up to be good people and be successful in life.
If you are a professional musician, you probably supplement your income by teaching privately. You could be teaching an instrument, theory, or songwriting. Some people make a very good living doing this. You can too if you become a great teacher that both adults and kids want to learn from.
Teaching is one of the most important things you can do as a musician. Without the people to help pass on the tradition to the next generation, music wouldn't be what it is today. Behind every great musician is a superb teacher that taught them the ins and outs of what it means to be great and how to always strive for more. Educating others about music can be just as rewarding as performing in many instances. Here are some tips to help you improve as a teacher so you can get the most out of both your students and yourself.
- Continue to Perform - Many teachers get locked into teaching and ignore their performing career. This is understandable given the kind of living that can be made teaching private lessons, but you should still make every effort you can to play live. This will leave you more inspired to teach others because you are realizing the true joy of performing in public.
- Personalize Lessons - Each student learns differently. This is as true with music as it is with any other topic. The best private lessons instructors make sure that each lesson is tailor-made to that particular student, making sure that each player gets the most out of each lesson. You want your clients to get their money's worth and this is the best way to do it.
- Continue Your Own Studies - The best teachers are that way because they are students themselves. By constantly striving to learn and grow, you will remain both inspired and inspiring. Also, if your students see you practicing and trying to get better, they will take you more seriously as a teacher. Music is a lifelong pursuit and should be treated that way. Never take it for granted. There are countless music workbooks for teaching to take advantage of.
Teaching private lessons shouldn't just be a side job that you use to make money. It should be yet another passion that you have within the discipline. Those that teach are some of the most important individuals in the tradition and are responsible for moving the tradition forward. If you aren't taking it seriously, you are doing a disservice to your students.
As I have mentioned in my last post, we visited my FIL on President's Day and we noticed that he was very skinny already and he didn't really want to talk. He didn't even want to do anything. By then, we knew that something was wrong. A week after that, he was rushed to the emergency at Trinity hospital. The doctor said that he had a flu then a a sepsis, a life-threatening complication of an infection. . Sepsis occurs when chemicals released in the bloodstream to fight an infection trigger inflammation throughout the body. This can cause a cascade of changes that damage multiple organ systems, leading them to fail. He stayed there for over a week, he got better, he even got up one time and said " Get me out of here". I think that was his way of saying that he is ready to go because after that, his internal organs started to shut down.
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On March 10th, I was attending a school mass at church and I had this feeling of uneasiness. When the mass was over, I was very surprised to see my husband outside the church. He said that he got a message from his niece that Dad's condition turned for the worse. He was transferred to the hospice. He passed away the next day (March 11th). It was hard saying goodbye to him because he was a great father to his kids, a great grandpa to his grand kids, and a great FIL. However it was a relief that his sufferings has finally ended. He lived a long but wonderful life.
My FIL, Jennings worked for Weirton Steel for 35 years. He proudly served in the United States Army, where he received a bronze star. World War 2 veterans is slowly thinning out. Not many of them are still alive. He was honored with a 21-gun salute during his burial.
I have never seen my husband get so emotional with anything so it was humbling to see him grieved for his Dad. Even though we kind of expected my FIL's passing, it was still very hard for all of us. I guess, when a person that dies have touched so many lives during his lifetime, it's hard to let go.
The funeral services was done by Greco-Hertnick. The viewing was March 14th and he was laid to rest on March 15th at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens.
Relatives and friends from nearby states came to give their last respect to him. Funerals is always a sad time but most of the times, you get to see family and friends that you haven't seen for a long time.
Dad's younger sister sister from Ohio was really heartbroken. They were very close.
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I am so glad that before my PC crashed, I was able to upload these photos because now, I can't access my documents. This computer won't even read my camera chip anymore. I was able to fix some issue and able to use it to post but I still can't access my documents. I am not a very techy person so I don't like when this happens. I have to figure out how to access my documents again because I have so many photos and videos that I need to back up and save to a portable drive. I should have not put it aside but that's what happens when you exercise mañana habit.
Our children and my husband were all off on President's day so we all went to Gables Care Center where my father-in-law is being taken care of. The old folks have just got done eating lunch when we got there so we were glad to see my FIL awake, however, he was already dozing off. I think he was given his medicine after he ate so he was falling asleep as we were talking to him. He didn't talk very much, we let him take a nap.
We noticed that Dad lost some weight since our last visit. I feel bad for my father-in-law. I know that he is well taken care of in that facility but it's hard that we only get to see him once in a while. I don't know why but I feel this overwhelming feeling of depression whenever we are at a seniors' facility. Looking at the old people that seem miserable makes me depressed. I can't help but think of a future scenario for me and my husband. I hope that when it is time for us to go, we can go peacefully so we won't be a burden to anybody.
Before we left, my daughter played some songs at the piano for some of the old people in the lobby. One of the nurses there gave us a picture of Dad and his valentine date on Valentine's day. Another nurse approached me and asked if I am a Filipino. She wanted to know because she is half Filipino and she said that she seldom see Filipino at that facility. She talked to us for a little while and she told us that she knows my FIL. They all call him Pap.
It was a short visit with Dad but glad to see him again. We didn't get to talk to him a lot but just to see him is enough. We will have to go back there again when we get a chance. I just wish he is near us so we can visit often.
UPDATE:
That was the last time we visited him at Gables. He was rushed to the hospital on March 1st. The doctor said that he had a flu then it became a sepsis. He was treated at Trinity for it and he got better. He was supposed to go back to Gables last week but the doctor found out that his internal organs were shutting down. We all went at the hospital last Friday because the doctor said that he won't last very long. He got transferred to the hospice that night and then he died last Saturday. I know that we have anticipated it is going to happen but it is a tough situation. Losing someone who touched so many lives is hard. We will forever cherished all the great memories we had with him. Rest in peace now Dad.
My children are very observant and they listen to every little thing that we say at home. They can feel the energy that my husband and I have everyday so we try our very best to be of good energy so we can transfer it to them. At home we can influence their mood but when they go out, we can't control what is going on so it is a hard thing to deal with, however, there are ways we can help our children to cope up and deal with adversities.
FIND CREATIVE ACTIVITIES for THEM TO DO - this will take their mind off the things that are bothering them. My kids love to do any outdoor activities so even during winter, they would insist to do things outside. I was a little hesitant to let them play in the snow when we had that frigid temperature but something was bothering them especially my daughter who is very sensitive so I let them play outside. They told me about a tension that is going on in the school and I feel bad that they have to go through that but I guess it is part of the learning process.
FIND GROUP ACTIVITIES - we are so lucky that most of the parents in our children's classes are close to us. Being in a small community is advantageous because everyone seems to know everybody so when there are events, we always get notified and we attend every chance we get. One of the Moms organized a bowling night after a tension-filled week at the school to give the students some breather. It was also a fun night for us parents.
MUSIC - a lot of people can connect to music. Music is one big part of my children's coping mechanism. My daughter plays piano when she is bored or stressed. Another best way to deal with adversity is through arts and crafts, there are so many arts and crafts project that you can do with your children at home. These are just some of the ways that works best for my kids.
