The Marvelous, Musical Miss Cicelske

A little over a year ago, my son Ben casually mentioned that he'd been seeing someone for a couple of months and would it be okay if he brought her over for dinner. You know how it is with moms and their kids--we can usually read them pretty well. I was immediately on high alert; there was something in his manner and in his voice that made me think this might not just be "someone" but "SOMEONE." When they came to dinner and we met Becca for the first time and watched the two of them together, my inkling about her grew stronger. Here we are many dinners and many months later, and Ben and Becca are engaged; in just a few months, Becca Cicelske will become Becca Wendell.

But before that happens, let me tell you a little about Becca Rae Cicelske. For nine years, she has been Miss Cicelske, the dedicated, hard-working, jack-of-all-trades music teacher at Northern Chautauqua Catholic School. In just a few days, she will start a brand new job as the band director for grades 5-12 at Chautauqua Lake Central School. She also plays the euphonium (which, I admit, I had to google to make sure I knew just what it was) and the ukulele (this one I knew since my mom is a long-time ukulele player!). She also sings, directs musicals, arranges music, and actually hears music differently than the average person (or at least differently than this average person). So that's the musical part of Miss Cicelske.

The marvelous part is revealed in more ways than I can name in a short blog post, but at the top of the list is the way she cares for people: her family (including her beloved nieces and nephews), her students, her friends, and especially Ben. She "gets" Ben. She understands who he is, what he wants, what he needs. Like many introverted people, she is a watcher, a noticer, and in the sixteen months she's known Ben, she has seen things him that have surprised even me. She's also a good listener, an encourager, a person who seems to know what people need before they ask. She's an excellent game player. She loves Ben's dog, Zeke, and is so good with him that we call her the dog whisperer. And to top it all off: she loves mint chocolate chip ice cream and the Buffalo Bills!

When Becca got the job at Chautauqua Lake, I was so thankful: being a 5-12 band director is her dream job; but I was also thinking how great it was for them: I knew they'd gotten a gem. When Ben proposed to Becca, I was so thankful: Becca is the girl of his dreams and I knew how happy they make each other; but I was also thinking how great it is for us: our family has gotten another gem. Welcome to the family, Becca!