Singing

For the past nearly 20 years, I've been part of a wonderful musical group at SS Philip & James.  How blessed I am that it is part of my life!  It began with volunteering to join the group as a singer for Confirmation services, and following with a casual conversation with Mary Tohill about guitar playing.

During one summer, probably the summer of 1995, Mary told me that my services were needed and that was that.  I went to a practice with Ann and played with her that Sunday, terrified that I'd mess up.  The next week during lunch, I went to the now defunct guitar store in Akron and bought my Yamaha acoustic guitar. 

Since that time, I've missed only maybe 10 or 12 Sundays as part of the group, other than the ones that we normally have off, such as when the kids sing. 

Someone said at the beginning that singing is praying twice, and I believe that.  Getting to play the guitar is just a bonus.  During college my brother came home for a Christmas break with his roommate's guitar that he'd borrowed.  He taught me two or three chords and I was pretty much hooked.  Ultimately, I think I did learn one song by heart.  I got a folk guitar for my 23rd birthday and started learning more after that.  When the folk group (the same group that I would one day join) created a record album, I bought one and tried to play the songs at home. 

There's a priceless picture of my grandfather sitting on the couch at my aunt's house in around 1964, trying to tune a toy guitar that one of the kids brought over.  My baby nephew is sleeping on the couch next to him, probably just a couple of months old.  For it was my grandfather who played guitar, and I knew that from childhood, although I never got to hear him play.  It must be in the genes.  My mother tried her hand at violin but gave up in disgust because she just didn't feel she was good enough.  An uncle played the mandolin.  And as it turns out, on the other side of the family, one of my relatives is Lawrence Welk.  Yikes.

The folk group is getting older and we know that.  But at this point, our voices are still good, strong, and pure.  We don't sound like a bunch of old ladies.  The men sound good too, and contribute mightily to the cause.  I'd like to think we can hang in there for a while, as long as we are needed.  The group is about music, but also about loyalty, friendship, and commitment.  It's about sacrifice.  It's been about knee replacements and operations and illnesses of all kinds.  It's been about children, marriages, and grandchildren aplenty. It's been about confusion over church changes, learning new music, and bringing a new sound into the church.

You know those wonderful productions where people just come and sing Handel's Messiah?  These are people who sang the entire production in college or with an orchestra at some point.  They know the music from memory, their own part even down to second soprano.  And kind of like the flash mobs we've heard about and seen on You Tube, it just comes together and it is glorious.

Music moves us; it affects us and our mood.  It is a gift to us, a little teaser of what is to come in heaven when we hear the choirs of angels.  Maybe we get to join them, kind of like the Messiah production. 

We start out hearing the songs of infancy, the lullabies and other ditties that our mothers and aunts and siblings sing.  We are awed early on.

My granddaughter, Ella, has a new favorite, thanks to the Brownies from 60 years ago.  It is a song I learned while wearing the size 7 Brownie uniform and singing -- I've Got Something in My Pocket.

It goes like this:

"I've got something in my pocket, that belongs across my face.
I keep it very close to me in a most convenient place.
I know you could not guess it, if you guessed a long, long while.
So I'll take it out, put it on, it's a great big Ella smile."

And when she smiles in joy over this song, that's as good as it gets.  As for the folk group, for now we continue to make music.

Our Lenten quote for today is:

“May the strength and support of the Holy Spirit be with all of you, that you may persevere steadfastly and faithfully in the work you have undertaken.” - St. Angela Merici (founder of the Ursuline order)