Natasha Regehr

Tag: Natasha Regehr (Page 8 of 9)

Canada Day in Cowansville

This is what my life looks like right now:

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I am surrounded by people I just met, and I feel completely at ease.

Live sitar and guitar music permeate the ornate living space. My red wine matches the oriental carpet and beaded doorways. There are instruments everywhere. And a very tactile cat.

Adults are cooking. Young people are chatting quietly. A couple boys are giggling at the mishaps of various comical pets on a muted flat-screen TV. A big French guy is barbecuing. “Medium rare,” I say. He calls me “darling.” I guess he just calls people that.

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Swan Song

“Hey, are these guys any good?” I asked, gesturing at the Peterborough Singers brochures on the counter. It was February, 2008, and I was hauling yet another load of mistreated school band instruments to B Flat Music for a little TLC.

“Oh, yes, very good!” declared Peg McCracken.

“You’ve heard them, then?” I asked skeptically.

“Heard them? I’ve sung with them for eighteen years!”

Undaunted, I pressed her further. “What kind of music do they sing?” I was not into the flaky schmaltz that so many community choirs seem to thrive on. I made that immediately and unapologetically clear.

“Well, we’re singing Bach’s St. Matthew Passion in our next concert. You should join us!”

Wait. A. Minute. Are you telling me that a place exists in Peterborough where I can go and sing exclusively Bach for two hours a week, every single week, until May? Pinch me hard; I must be dreaming.

“Start by coming to our concert this weekend. If you like it, we can set up an audition.”

I went. The moment the choir started singing, Continue reading

Circuit Training

Sometimes life strikes me as a continual circuit of hopes and disappointments, with a minor victory thrown in from time to time, just to keep the optimism from completely expiring.

Is this a morose perspective? I suppose so. On my better days, that sentence might read, “Life is an ongoing adventure of hopes and challenges, ever prodding us on to new forms of optimism.” Victory has nothing to do with it, from this viewpoint. It’s all about the effort.

But perpetual effort can be tiring, don’t you think? Without little victories, the circuit can wear us down, no matter how resilient we may be. We become caught in this flux of energies, which we constantly misplace and rediscover, in varying proportions. Does anyone else ever feel this way?

I have a lovely little hIMG_1193ouse. It is, as my childhood idol would say, “practically perfect in every way.” And I am learning, in increments, to let it go.

Part of moving to Morocco, you see, is selecting someone else to inhabit my treasured domicile while I’m away.  So far, that has been an emotional process.  It requires trust — both in the potential tenant, and in providence, to provide that tenant when the time is right.  Strengthening one’s “trust muscles” can be a gruelling task, especially when one feels interminably caught in Fortuna’s spinning wheel.

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Morocco, Part 2: Home Appeal

Who would have thought that moving to Morocco would arouse a sort of grief?

But it has – a strong and foolish grief that has me paralyzed with inactivity. I call it house grief. And I don’t mean that I’m feeling inconvenienced or annoyed (as in, “This broken zipper is causing me grief”); no, I’m embarrassed to say I am grieving over a carefully constructed pile of bricks.

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I am Moving to Morocco!

No, really, I am.

I have been tormenting my friends and acquaintances for days now with cryptic comments about exciting new developments in my mundane little life, and the day has finally come when I can shout it from the rooftops: I’m moving!

I just signed a two-year teaching contract with an international school in the legendary city of Casablanca. I’ll be teaching music to students from Kindergarten to Grade 5: my dream job, my dream climate, my dream of dreams in every way.

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Happy New Year from the Regehrs and the Bretzlaffs!

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from tepid Kingsville, where the Regehrs and Bretzlaffs have gathered to celebrate a green and drizzly Christmas. The task of chronicling our activities will be a simple one this year, since 2014 was not all that different from 2013 for most of us. Charmaine and I continue in our teaching positions at our respective schools, Dave continues his church work, Mary continues her grandmothering and volunteer work, and Nathan and Jocelyn continue with their teenage lives of school, hockey, and socializing. Really, there are just a few minor variations to note.

On the teaching front, I now teach Grade 1/2 part-time at Jack Callaghan Public School, and Charmaine teaches Grade 1 at South Shore Christian School. We both agree that, despite their relative helplessness, the wee ones are a hoot to teach. I have left my morning music position at Rhema Christian School and expanded my piano teaching schedule at home. I have a special affinity for teaching theory, and am blessed this year with a number of super-keen students who share my unnatural fascination with the circle of fifths. What a delightful way to spend five days a week.

Dave continues to minister at South Point Community Church, a contemporary Mennonite Brethren congregation in Leamington. In an age of religious conflict and church splits, the people at South Point have taken a step toward unity, and are celebrating a merger with the congregation of Calvary Baptist Church. The two groups had been sharing a building for some time, and now enjoy a combined service under Dave’s leadership.

Mary continues to volunteer at the MCC thrift shop in Leamington when she is not busy attending her grandchildren’s hockey, soccer, baseball or basketball games. Nathan is 16 and will soon be driving himself to the arena, where he spends time on the ice as both a goalie and a referee. I’m not sure how Jocelyn (13) feels about having her big brother ref her games, but she continues to thrive in sports, music and academics.

I continue my involvement with my choir, church, and synchronized swimming team; Charmaine keeps busy with her fitness classes, books, and puzzles; Dave belongs to a group of avid motorcyclists, who built him a bike in exchange for snacks; most of us enjoy a rousing game of Monopoly or soccer; and some of us have even been on a date or two this year.

As always, we are thankful for your warm and welcome presence in our lives, and think of you fondly throughout the year. All the best in 2015!

Love,

Natasha, Mary, Dave, Charmaine, Nathan and Jocelyn

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