music, therapy, and me

It is my last full day of visiting home, and I am not handling the end very well. I love this place and these people, and now I am the only one who isn't living here, so I am the oddball now. I don't want to be leaving, but my job is elsewhere, so I have to go...back...to bitter temperatures and a job where I don't feel all that valued... (Please note that most of the comments that I am making here are colored by the fact that I have only one more day to be in this wonderland, and I DON'T WANT TO GO!) The end of a visit almost always makes me wonder if there are things I can do in order to stay, but I just can't see possibilities beyond what I know. I do know this - I will be returning home for good at some point. (I got to start buying lottery tickets!)  My sister has arranged my last day here. I am going to stay at her house tonight. We will be going to her neighborhood block party (I'm her excuse for not staying for very long), and we may go to see Star...

It is very early on Friday morning where I currently am sitting, and I am enjoying the relative quiet and a visit from my brother's cat, Walter. Walter is an interesting little cat - half the size of Bella cat and all lean muscle. He is definitely Grandma's darling and got a special blanket of his own for when he moves out of this house into my brother's new place later this week. His present was the largest in the pile on Monday. He is definitely a well-loved cat. This is the beginning of a new series of blog posts. I'm not sure if it will become a weekly theme or not - for the moment, this will be an occasional theme about how I put my session strategies together. I hope you like it. Now, on to the topic for today... I have been here, surrounded by creative people and family members who love me most of the time (they are the same people) for four days now. I have been writing in my little book every morning as I waken early and wait for everyone else to start t...

Yesterday, I finally was able to see the latest in the Star Wars series, and I cried during the last 30 minutes of the film. It was not embarrassing - I often cry at films - but the story moved me greatly, and crying is my way of expressing emotions of all sorts. My sister fished around in her purse and came up with a tissue, so I was able to blot my tears without having to resort to wiping my nose on my R2-D2 t-shirt (worn specifically for the movie!). I will make sure not to spoil anything about the movie for those of you who want to see it but haven't yet. I have been actively avoiding everything I found that concerns the movie because I didn't want to know until I saw it. I won't be a spoiler, so read on with confidence if you haven't seen The Last Jedi yet. So... Here's an admission. I love Star Wars. I always have, and I always will. I remember the first time I saw A New Hope (number 4 for those of you who do not know a time where there weren't...

I am currently in California, soaking up good vibes from Mom, Dad, Sister, and for the first time in many, MANY years, Brother as well. I spent Christmas Day traveling in planes and automobiles and spent Christmas afternoon playing trains with Nephew #2 - who is two, and who reminded me that I am feeling much older than usual these days. All of these things are good, but there is something much better than that happening right now. This is my current view from the bed in my sister's old room. As you can see, my Mother is a crafter. She does a bit of every type of craft that you can think of and some of others that you have never heard of. This is her papercrafting room, and I am smack dab in the middle of it all right now.   I know that her crafting interest comes from my Grandmother who was an artist and created things all the time when my Mom was growing up. Mom has been creating art and making crafts for as long as Grandma could remember, and that talent was very much enco...

I'm thinking about retirement. Let me start this conversation by saying that my mother and father recently retired, and their new lives are looking really good to me right now. (This is a side effect of visiting - I actually get to witness what is happening rather than just hearing about it.) My sister has decided that We (notice the use of the Royal We) will be retiring in 9 years when she is eligible to take her pensions and run from her elementary school job. In addition, I will be retiring then as well, and We will travel (again, that Royal We!). I'm telling you. This idea is not hard to contemplate at all. My father's twin, my Aunt, is having to retire this year. She tried retiring last year, but ended up driving herself crazy with inactivity and went back to teaching high school math this year, but it is past time for her to retire and do other things. In direct contrast to my parents (who are finding retirement really enjoyable), she is dreading this transition...

Today and next week will just have regular posts. I'm not going to pack my current book and will have various obligations on these Sundays, so I'm taking a break from all things deep thinking (courtesy of Mercedes Pavlicevic). Posts from the next several days may be a bit spotty since I will be hovering over this country of mine and in places where the wi-fi is turned off when Dad goes to bed or with a sister that does not have the same relationship with technology that I do. Just wanted folks to know. So, what is happening on this Sunday and Christmas Eve? My to-do list is growing - taking care of the cat for her vacation from me, moving and watering my lone plant, finishing my packing, going to Walmart for some extra yarn, finding the travel backpack, organizing the electronics and the cords that go along with them, checking in for the flight, leading worship services (one in the morning and one at night - just had a thought - I don't have to play piano at all today!!...

I am getting myself and my home ready for a homecoming - mine. I leave and head out to my real home this time of year. I completely vacate everything that happens in my life here, in this state, for the rest and silence of home. I have an enforced rest from work and therapizing, and I love it. Today is the day that I get things ready both for leaving and returning. The leaving preparations are easy. Pack. Feed the cat, water the cat, ready the cat's hygiene needs, take out the trash, clean the sheets, clean the carpets, clean the kitchen, clean. The coming home preparations are a bit less easy. Arrange for the mail to be delivered. Have enough food that I don't have to immediately go grocery shopping. Organize the materials I will need to have to return to work on the 2nd for a day of behavior management lectures. Unpack. Get back into a work type frame of mind. When I am on my enforced rests from work, I find my creativity surging. I keep a small book nearby almost all...

Most of my thoughts this week have been about the holiday hyperactivity that happens all around me at this time of year. Some of it is self-induced - as a musician, there are performances and programs to lead. Much of the rest of the hype is other-induced - the pressures to have a perfect holiday, the chance to see family and friends, Pinterest (do I need to say more??). My quotation for the past several weeks has been from E. B. White , writer of Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little as well as being the co-editor of The Elements of Style . It sits on my shelf, just behind my right shoulder, and has been sitting there for several weeks now. Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder. ~ E.B. White During this holiday season, I am making an effort to find wonder in various places. You know, when I am looking for it, it is amazing how I can find it. When I'm not looking for it, wonder is still happening all around me, but I am often oblivious. I think of this purp...

I've been thinking quite a bit lately. These thoughts are often circular in nature and just keep on going and going, so I am going to put some of them down in fixed form here to help get them out of my head. I may be an internship supervisor again in the future. This is a part of music therapy professional life that I really enjoy. The role of supervisor is a completely voluntary one for me - no financial benefits, but I do get 4 CMTEs for being a supervisor - but it is a role that I love. Each intern that I've worked with has left a mark on my professional interactions with my clients and with every other intern who has decided to spend their 1020 hours with me. I enjoy the privilege of watching students become therapists (and they have all had that moment when learning and experience solidify into being "therapist" - it's hard to describe what that really means), and I learn from every single individual. I've been singing a variety of opening Therapeutic...

In honor of the Winter Solstice (coming up this week in the Northern Hemisphere), here is a song that I wrote for sing about winter (one of the TME collections offered on my website). Therapeutic Music Experience The Cold and Dark of Winter Mary Jane Landaker, MME, MT-BC Purpose : To introduce topic of weather and season; To encourage discussion about emotional changes with different seasons; To reinforce concept of weather changes; social awareness and interaction; relaxation Source : Original song and TME development by Mary Jane Landaker, MME, MT-BC. © 2015 by Mary Jane Landaker, MME, MT-BC. All Rights Reserved. Materials : None Environment : Group members within earshot of leader Song/Chant/Words : The cold and dark of winter can seem so very long. The quiet snow is falling, the wind is very strong. But even on the darkest night, the stars are there twinkling bright. The cold and dark of winter will become Spring ‘ere long. Procedure...