Choir Wardrobe 11.26.17

Of all the choir wardrobe posts I've done, this one seems to me to be the most inane. 

But there's a lesson in it, I think.

We did not have a normal service today.  In light of the loss the church staff sustained Friday morning, there just was no way for business to continue as usual.  Today's service was a reflection on the life and ministry of our children's pastor, who passed away suddenly and unexpectedly early Friday at the tender age of 50.

Pastor Dave was a huge Captain America fan, so word went out Friday night that the choir was going to wear either Captain America shirts or, if that wasn't possible, royal blue and red today.

Well, I didn't have a Captain America T shirt.  My kids had had trouble finding them at retail...they were selling fast as folks who knew Pastor Dave all bought them to wear in his honor.  My hubby is still convalescing; I hate Black Friday weekend shopping.  I really just didn't have the oomph to go on a t-shirt hunt.

So I had the brilliant idea to go to Hobby Lobby and pick up some transfer paper and a T shirt and download an image from the internet and create my own.

I even found a really cool Captain America shield graphic...one that looked battle worn, so that if the transfer wasn't perfect it wouldn't really show up.

But I didn't click through to the source and just as I closed the window after downloading a copy, I saw the phrase 'deviant art'.

Suddenly I had the sinking feeling that I hadn't downloaded an open source image but someone's personal artwork.  I went back to the search page and hunted it down and, sure enough, it was an image created by an individual and shared on his site.

Using his image on a shirt w/o his ok, not to say compensation, would be patently against everything Captain America...and Pastor Dave...would stand for.

I couldn't do it.

So, today, I was in royal blue and red.

Old Coldwater Creek knit jeans;  an old Coldwater Creek sweater shell.  And a modified Jalie 2919 Pleated Cardigan..  Also old.

And a clear conscience, if a bit of regret that we did't brave the crowds to track down retail shirts.

I will say that this mornings services were hard but amazing.  Pastor Dave's son spoke briefly on behalf of his family, and made the following statement, 'I know two things.  One, that this is unfair and I will never understand.  Two, that I will trust my God and not lean on my own understanding, but I will acknowledge Him in all my ways and I know that He will direct my path.'

As I said, hard...and amazing.