Bittersweet

SRN photos

RHONDA the MAGNIFICENT

Rhonda Kwiecien

retired from our church pipe organ,

ending an overall 30 year career of consecutive Sundays; thirteen or fourteen of those years as the organist and music director at the First Congregational UCC church of Waukesha, WI.

The Kwiecien girls in the wagon at the left are Hollyann and Mira. Hollyann is now a freshman in college at UW Eau Claire this fall, while Mira is in seventh grade at Horning Middle School.

Rhonda's other interests currently include her desire to attend concerts of the two also musically-talented offspring and to not have solid slots to fill every Sunday at the local church. It was sadly time to retire, she felt.

.......

Today: the church held a farewell service for Rhonda.

It was a lovely celebration of music offered to Rhonda by the choir members and other musicians and pulpiteers, on behalf of a grateful congregation. Her husband Paul sat at her side in a pew with his arm around her, which from our vantage encapsulated the care and love he has for Rhonda.

Today she was no longer perched on the historic organ bench, rendering her ministry of music. As her faithful page-turner, Paul has been a point man for his diminutive wife, a musical/mystical lady who is powerful in her own right.

The top photo, purposefully blurred, portrays Rhonda standing at the front this morning during an emotional moment - of which there were many - seemingly gazing at me in my post in the 'peanut gallery'. Later, she said she was looking at me, trying to smile........

Here again is an old poem for Rhonda:

Rhonda the Magnificent

Sylphan vessel pours herself out,
drives exquisite shafts into my heart
with her music;

A half-pint at a mighty organ console
pleasurably stings and pinions
my listening soul;

pierced and webbed,
I am unconcerned with my immobility
while she levitates,
all ninety-eight pounds of her,

flawlessly hand and footing it,
booming and whispering,
her piped hemlock ecstasy
fills me up.

I would brave the darkest path
if accompanied by this little girl musician;

a welcome death by ear
plays me to sleep,
lays me down

[David 'Dixi' - Latin}

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