Nun Story #1: Piano Man
I've been avoiding it.. but I think it's about time I tell a story of my own, instead of just copying and pasting what other people have to say. So here it is.. the first segment of my "Nun Series: Stories of last summer"
Nun story #1: Piano Man
Sister Ida, my favorite sister and also one of the oldest and sweetest at Mother of God Monastery, was my Wednesday night driving/teaching buddy. Every Wednesday at 7:00PM I would pull up to the Monastery to pick her up, she would greet me with a warm hug, and we would head down Highway 81. Together we taught ESL to Spanish-speaking farm workers at a little country church 30 miles away. I always looked forward to our car rides and conversation as well as class itself because I couldn’t wait to hear what would come out of this sweet little nun’s mouth. Before setting out, we would pray for animals to stay out of our driving way (for each specific animal in fact, deer, cats, rabbits, etc.) and for our students to continue to learn English and “to be safe”.
Sister Ida and I had been going to Hamlin Reformed Church for ESL classes for a few weeks and I was beginning to get the rhythm of things. One night on our way back to Watertown as we drove on gravel roads lit only by the moon and my headlights, Sister Ida turned to me and said, “Sing me a song.” I was very caught off guard and did my best to decline and change the subject, but Sister Ida was persistent and it’s hard to say ‘no’ to someone who is old and holy. I immediately wracked my brain for a song that I could remember the words to… and a song that was easy to sing… and a song that was nun-appropriate. I knew the words to “Gangster’s Paradise” and it was easy to sing… but it didn’t quite qualify as being nun-appropriate. Then, as if the voice of Tim Lightfield floated in my ear, I began to sing “Piano Man” by Billy Joel. It was my dad’s signature song and I knew the words by heart (though I only sang the chorus).
Sing us a song, you’re the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we’re all in the mood for a melody
And you’ve got us feeling alright
It was a hit with Sister Ida and she made me sing is repeatedly for the next mile, at least. From then on, every Wednesday night on our way back to Watertown, Sister Ida would request to hear “my daddy’s song”. Eventually, she began to pick up on the lyrics and by the end of our ESL semester, Sister Ida knew all the words and together we would sing “Piano Man” on our way home.
The scene of it all still makes me smile. Two terrible, I mean terrible singers singing Billy Joel in the dark drive home… Sister Ida, who had probably never known the words to a secular song in her life, and her singing partner, a girl who missed her dad but was able sing his song and smile while doing it.
Nun story #1: Piano Man
Sister Ida, my favorite sister and also one of the oldest and sweetest at Mother of God Monastery, was my Wednesday night driving/teaching buddy. Every Wednesday at 7:00PM I would pull up to the Monastery to pick her up, she would greet me with a warm hug, and we would head down Highway 81. Together we taught ESL to Spanish-speaking farm workers at a little country church 30 miles away. I always looked forward to our car rides and conversation as well as class itself because I couldn’t wait to hear what would come out of this sweet little nun’s mouth. Before setting out, we would pray for animals to stay out of our driving way (for each specific animal in fact, deer, cats, rabbits, etc.) and for our students to continue to learn English and “to be safe”.
Sister Ida and I had been going to Hamlin Reformed Church for ESL classes for a few weeks and I was beginning to get the rhythm of things. One night on our way back to Watertown as we drove on gravel roads lit only by the moon and my headlights, Sister Ida turned to me and said, “Sing me a song.” I was very caught off guard and did my best to decline and change the subject, but Sister Ida was persistent and it’s hard to say ‘no’ to someone who is old and holy. I immediately wracked my brain for a song that I could remember the words to… and a song that was easy to sing… and a song that was nun-appropriate. I knew the words to “Gangster’s Paradise” and it was easy to sing… but it didn’t quite qualify as being nun-appropriate. Then, as if the voice of Tim Lightfield floated in my ear, I began to sing “Piano Man” by Billy Joel. It was my dad’s signature song and I knew the words by heart (though I only sang the chorus).
Sing us a song, you’re the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we’re all in the mood for a melody
And you’ve got us feeling alright
It was a hit with Sister Ida and she made me sing is repeatedly for the next mile, at least. From then on, every Wednesday night on our way back to Watertown, Sister Ida would request to hear “my daddy’s song”. Eventually, she began to pick up on the lyrics and by the end of our ESL semester, Sister Ida knew all the words and together we would sing “Piano Man” on our way home.
The scene of it all still makes me smile. Two terrible, I mean terrible singers singing Billy Joel in the dark drive home… Sister Ida, who had probably never known the words to a secular song in her life, and her singing partner, a girl who missed her dad but was able sing his song and smile while doing it.
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