I performed music in church yesterday — something I've only done once before, and only then because one of my favorite parishoners was leaving to do mission work in Costa Rica. Yesterday we worshipped outdoors, which seemed a good venue for my acoustic guitar and my 'ukulele.

I had planned to play/sing “Morning Has Broken” on the guitar as the opening song but apparently that didn't get passed to the secretary, who had me listed (and misspelled) on the Order of Worship as performing the Offeratory on the guitar.

“How about if I play the guitar for the offeratory and the 'uke for the benediction?” I asked the organist.

“Fine by me,” she said. “Does he know?” She motioned to the pastor. I shrugged.

Monstro and the kid were across the street at the playground so I sang as loudly as I could, hoping they'd hear. I was most concerned about the guitar piece but it went very well — probably the best I've played it to date.

I had hidden the ukulele, a gift customized for me by Avram, and when I pulled it out as the pastor made his way down the aisle (we were in an outdoor tabernacle, complete with stage and altar) the whole place started laughing at me. Many remained standing for my song, “I Can See Clearly Now,” and some even sang along. I was met with applause at the end. The organist was visibly flummoxed.

“I can't follow that. What can I play to follow that?” she asked me. She put her fingers on the keys but took them off again as quickly. “Nope. I'm not doin' it.”

Then, after church we had a picnic, and the kid busied himself by taking a chicken nugget off one woman's plate and then grubbed down on a cookie he'd grabbed from the buffet.

I guess what I'm saying is, a good time was had by all.