Saturday, May 2, 2026

The Newest FIFA World Cup Volunteer

. . . is not me but I'm not out of the running yet. About 10 days ago I finally got an update from FIFA: I could be on their reserve roster. In other words, if a volunteer is not able to fulfill their duties, I might be offered their spot. I accepted the reserve roster role and I'm still checking my email semi-weekly to make sure I don't miss any updates. 
The long-awaited email from FIFA

In familial news, my mother-in-law and father-in-law have moved into their new home. It's only a 10 minute drive from us. It's already been really nice to be far enough away that we have our own space but close enough that we can easily hop over there to drop off things or just say hi.

My life feels like it might be getting back to a pace that I can handle. There are still plenty of tears when I think about my dad. Just today I received in the mail a note I had written to the tooth fairy at least 30 years ago. The accompanying explanation from my mom told me that she had found the note in the drawer of my dad's nightstand. My first instinct is to say, "I can't believe he kept it for so long!" but then I remember how much he loved all of his kids. Of course he kept little keepsakes to remind him of those cherished memories.

I don't want to end on something quite so emotional so let's talk about band! After over 15 years without playing my French horn, I finally picked it up again last June. The local community college has a summer band program that is open to all musicians in their teens or older. A friend of mine told me about it and it sounded perfect for me; I could start playing my horn again in a low-stakes setting. I had a blast last year so I'm doing it again this year. We have rehearsal twice a week and then a concert after 4 weeks. Last year our pieces all came from musicals. This year will all be American composers since our country will soon celebrate 250 years as a nation.

That's all the news worth reporting. Here's hoping that the next few months will have some wonderful memories!

-Clare G. S.

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