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It's raining outside and BuilderBoy, SquishyBaby and I are at home, busying ourselves with activities while ProfessorMom finishes grading term papers at the local gluten-free coffee shop. It’s 4:15 in the afternoon. I turn on the regional public radio station to alert us to any potential changes in the weather. But the rain continues.
“No problem, I have a series of planned activities to keep up morale."
First, Snacks. Then Books. Crafts. Crayons. Markers. Play-Doh. Instruments. Toys I had been saving for their birthday. Snacks again.
I check the clock. Fifteen minutes later. This brings us to 4:30pm. I feel trapped inside. I try to keep a positive attitude, but I’m not sure what to do next. The time between afternoon nap and dinner is stressful.
Suddenly, I feel a mighty wind against the house. Is the storm picking up or is it… BIBLE, with another intense compositional challenge for me, ComposerDad.
ComposerDad: Hello Bible, We meet again.
BIBLE: Hello ComposerDad, I see you and your little ones are all gathered inside this house.
ComposerDad: Yes, it is raining a LOT so we are playing inside.
BIBLE: This reminds me. After Jesus ascended into heaven, his followers huddled together in a house, on a day called Pentecost. Suddenly, there was a mighty wind, tongues of fire rested on their heads and they were filled with the Holy Ghost. Peter shared the good news with everyone, with support from his entourage. I want you to create a song based on this event, in the style of 90s HipHop. GoodBye.
ComposerDad: I knew Bible wasn’t far away with all that intense weather. “No Problem,” I say, but Bible is already gone.
I turn off the radio and turn on some 90s HipHop via our wifi-enabled speakers. It takes a moment to connect. We wait.
While we listen, we use washable paints to illustrate the Pentecost account. BuilderBoy’s painting looks incredible. He places it extremely high up on the wall. How did he get it up there so high? What’s happening? Before I can figure it out, there’s another rush of wind.
It's ProfessorMom, returning home from grading papers at the local gluten-free coffee shop.
ComposerDad: How was the coffee shop?
ProfessorMom: At the end of a semester, I find it helpful to take a moment to update my syllabus for next year, while it is fresh in my mind.
Suddenly, there is yet another rush of wind and our sliding doors open. The rain stopped. It’s beautiful day outside and ProfessorMom suggests we take a family walk before dinner.
ProfessorMom: Let’s take a family walk before dinner.
As we walk, I am not distracted by my work, but focus on reconnecting emotionally with my family. See you next time on ComposerDad vs. Bible.
ComposerDad's secret identity is Jonathon Roberts. That's Jonathon with an O, and his music is available at jmtroberts.bandcamp.com. That's J for Jonathon, M for "mountain" or "muscly", T for "tiger", and Roberts dot Bandcamp dot com.
