Five. Making Music, Making More

Day 360

I am thankful for music.  More specifically I am thankful for opportunities to participate in making music.  Ringing in the bell choir at church brings me joy in the ringing and the hearing of the sounds of the bells, the amazing experience of 12-14 people using the same instrument,  a circle of friends who by the very nature of the instrument need each other.  We make music and mistakes together.  We laugh and weep together.  We pray together every week.  We are focused and we are distractable.  We are a bell choir.

I am also thankful for the adult vocal choir who has changed it's name from "Sr. Choir" to "Celebration Choir".  There's never been a "Jr. Choir" and I think as we get older together we needed young people not to think you have to be over 50 to join.

Singing with a group, having a director who inspires and teaches, being blessed with a vocal coach who can direct when needed is more than I ever thought singing in a choir could be.  Individually, unless we had taken lessons, there was no training among us.  With the dedication of our leaders and patience of our accompanist we have each grown in our vocal and musical skills.   We have learned to listen to each others' voices and tune ourselves to those around us.

That listening and tuning defines our group as a mini-congregation or very large family as well as a choir.  We sing together, we pray together, we play together, and we take a trip together every year (retreat).   But, when all is said and sung the glory of being in a choir is hearing our voices together making music to the Most High God.   To have the words of our anthems soak into our hearts is to memorize scripture and pray with our song.   "He who sings prays twice."  (commonly attributed to St. Augustine)