Monday, February 20, 2012

The Dinner Interview

I guess I should let in on a little of what actually happened at the interview.  I'll start with the morning after.

Showering on the 14th Executive floor of the Hilton on Friday morning, I contemplated the seemingly endless supply of hot water.  At home, I would be hesitant to take longer than an 8 minute shower, unless I knew no one was showering for the next five hours.  Minutes 12-15 in the shower could border on luke warm, and progressively turn down the cold water until the only water showering down is from the hot spout, the water continues towards tepid, and forget the 20th minute. Cold.

I understand the seemingly endless supply of hot water from the 14th floor.  I understand that it is 'seemingly endless' and one day or hour, will turn cold.  But I cannot comprehend the endless supply of water that the Lord has access to.  Streams of living water. I tend to put the amount of things the Lord can do into a water heater, and figure that it has a fixed volume, an amount of time, and a point at which it will cease to help.  Perhaps I'll stretch my imagination to a water heater that can heat showers throughout hotel rooms on 14 floors of a large hotel - I figure that this limit of what God can do is being generous.  No.  It's not.  It's still limiting, and we are to look "to Him who is able to do far more abundantly more than we ask or think, according to the power at work within us." (Ephesians 3:20)

Maybe skittish is a good word.  Uptight and skittish.

Mike and I skittishly made it to the car in the cold parking garage under the Hilton.  No lint.  No wrinkles.  Good suit.  Great dress.  As the sun sank into the horizon past the Susquehanna River, we drove along its western shore to the restaurant.  We're early.  Good.  We prayed.  Good.  We walked in through the double doors, and put our coats in the coatroom.  Greeted kindly by the host, who was probably the owner, another young server took us to the room.  As we entered the back room, the huddle of 6 servers broke up, and they started pouring water glasses on the long table, taking our drink orders, and attentively watching us.  Hung adjacent to the long table, set with 18 place settings, was a beautiful painting of a grand piano in  a sun room.  The same artist we have in our living room that I got form my dear friend Dianne.  It was almost the same painting.  You'd think something like this would at least assist in me relaxing my shoulders, but no, still uptight and skittish.  One doctor came in first, and then others started to trickle in with their wives.  The practice has about 30 cardiologists, so this is just a handful coming to have dinner and interview us.

The wives one by one or two by two came over during this drink phase to talk to me.  It was lovely.  They were very kind, all different ages, and asking lots of questions and smiling and they started commenting and I started thinking. "I remember being the one interviewed, it feels like it was yesterday, you cannot believe how fast the time flies, I dropped the cheese plate. I was so embarrassed" Pheww, because I'll probably pour my drink on my dress. "Do you stay home with your children?  I'm a stay at home mom." There are other doctors married to stay at home moms? "This group is like a family, a community, it really is."  Ok. Hmmm.  "We live on the east shore . . ."  "We live on the west shore . . ." I do love the shore, but I didn't know it would be part of my daily terminology when we are not even talking about the ocean.  Smile and nod.  Smile and nod.  Could I be any less personable?

This was perhaps the hardest thing I have ever done.  I was so nervous, and my only job was to be myself and support what Mike was saying.  I have performed in front of thousands of people, and this was much harder!  My friend put it really well, when you are performing you are in control.  I had to just sit and listen, and be attentive, and not space out - and finish my food.  There was another challenge.  I knew I did too much muscle using in my face with all the smiling and nodding, and being nervous, probably clenching my jaw or something I was unaware of.  Because, the one time I was addressed by the head doctor, he asked,  "And what do you think of all this, Joanne?" Small piece of food- In my throat - don't talk with food in your mouth - take a sip -couldn't swallow - what a terrible moment.  Thank God someone said, "Speechless.  Look, she's absolutely speechless."  Thank you so much, she bid me some time so I could swallow and get out a , "I'm just really grateful for this opportunity. . . ." Who knows what I said at that point.

Mike was still offered the job verbally on the spot, I can without a doubt say that I had nothing to do with the hire.  It seemed more as the night went on that they were trying to tell me all the highlights of the area, all the opportunities for kids - sports, theater, Suzuki violin, great schools and many options for schooling.  It turned out they seemed to be very down to earth content people.  I didn't get a read that they were out to suck all the life out of Mike  for a few years and spit him out on the streets like Mike had portrayed some programs.  It felt like they wanted and needed to add another team player to take care of their hundreds of patients who need care.

We don't have any paperwork yet, but we did drive around with the most senior doctor's wife for 6 hours the following day.  She showed us many neighborhoods, towns, and areas that are desirable to live in.  I think she got to know us pretty well in those 6 hours in her Volvo.  She was such a kind woman, clothed in strength and dignity, but not arrogance.  I kind of wanted to be her.

From the onset, it appears that all of the priorities Mike had for a job would be met with this job, the concerning aspects of a first job don't seem to exist here, the practice and leadership appear to be executed with integrity, and the most senior doc and his wife are strong christians. Mike has an unexplainable peace about the position.



And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7 ESV)




Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV)


Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Acting, Staging, and Costuming

There's just no tune as exciting as a show tune in 2/4. When it's played, you can just smell The greasepaint in the air.  - Jerry Herman


Hello Dolly & Mame are two great shows composed by Jerry Herman, the master poet and composer. He wrote a lot of tunes for his shows in 2/4, and if you don't know what that means, just picture the conductor waving his baton frantically up and down, tons of energy, and a strong pulse from every other bass note buzzing by.  You generally cannot help but tap your foot, thumb, or toe and even though the singer may be singing slowly, an unmistakable rhythm is driving you pretty quickly into the heart of the show.  And this music moves.


We're functioning on a 2/4 right now, something new being staged every other day as opposed to every other beat.  I have to be somewhat of an actress while teaching these little ones.  How else could you hedge in a 1 1/2 blue eyed boy who specializes in balancing on the couch armrest and belly flopping onto the couch.  Good thing we have a hearty Broyhill. I welcome you over to try saying "no" with a straight face.  I have to brush up on these acting skills.


"How you sell is not now you live," was a very helpful comment from our Realtor.  Either she was telling us the truth or just trying to make us feel better about the condition of our house, that latter reason worked regardless.  She said how everyone's house looks like this, especially if they have children, but now we have to pack up everything we don't use daily. "Is there room in the garage?  Fill it up!"  If it wasn't for the 20 pieces of Mr. Potato head scattered about - a nose for pretend soup and eyes as a pacifier - this may not seem that difficult.  I'm now in the pack and seal mode.  If it's sealed and packed, it can't be strewn about.  However, my pretty baskets that I bought to camouflage toys in the living room are working.  They work when everything is in them.  So we are getting there in the staging.  A few more coats of paint and about 12  more boxes and we should be set for staging.  Should we leave all 7 diplomas up?  There's actually 8 if you count mine.  I would say I use them on a daily basis. They remind me how fortunate I am to be fully supporting the endeavors of the best cardiologist ever.  I wonder how literal she wants me to take this packing thing.  


And now onto some costumes.   I have never tried to buy a dress for a bachelorette party and an interview in the same shopping trip.  I wouldn't recommend trying to look classic, classy, and professional without an over the top power image, yet preserving a hint of personality somehow with trying to pull off a fit-in-with-20 year-olds-bachelorette getup. Somehow it is working.  


At the dinner I'll be smiling in a structured black dress with short sleeves, a high slightly embellished neckline with a low profile heel and black stockings.  I'm really grateful I can smile this year! It will be worn at Mike's 2nd interview (which I am dying to call a 'callback') meeting dinner tomorrow night, where we will be with about 6 other doctors who practice there and their wives, one of the female doctors, and an administrator.  His possible future colleagues.  I do fear that I will gasp at some kind of exceeded or under-met expectation if they actually talk contractual issues.  But I won't.  I am totally there to support my love 100% and can't believe we have this evening and opportunity to go together.  My friend Rachel put it well, "When do we ever get to go out with our husbands and support them, and honor them so well? What a great opportunity." 


I have a little snack of an outfit in my closet when I will pull out for the bachelorette party.  I won't go into any detail, other than, it actually fits and stages my curves like a 20 year old's. 


Brett helped me pick out Mike's dinner interview outfit, which was helpful.  He texted, "Suit with a bright tie, a little fun but not crazy."  Brett has a very concise way of getting a complex point across.  In some settings, we call that genius.  As David devoured books in the front of the shopping cart, and Naomi was body surfing under the cart reading her books, I buzzed around the store getting Mike a 2nd suit.  He will be wearing a medium depth grey suit, with very subtle blue and white pin stripes, but they are more subtle than pin stripes.  You would barely notice them until you impart sky blue tie in which the horizontal differently textured stripes mimic the tiny pin stripes.  Throw on the Johnston and Murphy's, some Calvin deep grey socks and he is set.  The cart couldn't have looked classier - two flower girl dresses, lingerie for my little sister, full suit, shirt, socks, tie, we bought a book we ripped a page out of, birthday dress for Naomi, little girl stockings, and two kids who had had enough as we pulled up to the register.  When the cashier asked me if we wanted to donate a dollar to fight heart disease, I was shocked.  We are in the business of donating to heart disease! Where do you think our 20's went?  


 The 2/4 tempo has been quick this week.  A lot is going on, but a lot is being accomplished on the surface.  In all the acting, staging, and costuming, I am finding it quite fun, and looking for opportunities to not get swept up in business.  Committing each set of endeavors to the Lord, praying for wisdom, and being in fellowship every other measure has been a huge help and I can see how it is part of God's perfect acting in our own lives.  From giving me a shalom peace to wherever we are called for Mike's new job, to ideas like, "Two happy meals could buy me 1 hour in Home Depot"  I attribute all of these logistics and craziness, trials and triumphs, to His perfect staging.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Wisdom, Wisdom, Please bring it On

As I was reading in Proverbs this morning, I was struck with a certain example.   Two different places where wisdom, understanding, and knowledge are highlighted.


The LORD by wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding he established the heavens;
by his knowledge the deeps broke open,
and the clouds drop down the dew.
(Proverbs 3:19-20 ESV)

And then later on there is a description on how to build a house, from the perspective of us here, making our homes for our families.


By wisdom a house is built,
and by understanding it is established;
by knowledge the rooms are filled
with all precious and pleasant riches.
(Proverbs 24:3-4 ESV)

I never put these two sections together, and realized the example God gave us when He set the foundations of the earth.  You can further find information about this in Proverbs 8:22-31 if you are interested in further reading.

As we embark on a likely move, and our home is being filled with blue painters tape and boxes, emptied shelves and a packed garage, it is refreshing to know that the same principles that build our houses are those that the Lord used to lay the foundations of time and space.  It's a great starting point in this cluttered soon to be de-cluttered dining room.

Join me in praying for wisdom, understanding, and knowledge for ourselves and our households!