Janet

Psalm 96             Sing to the Lord a new song

Psalm 81             Sing Joyfully unto God our strength

Psalm 137           How can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?

Give thanks in all things.

Golly that has been tough in the seemingly endless months of this past year. So much isolation, distancing, and yearning for connections that most of us often took for granted. Hugging a loved one… visiting someone in a hospital… worshiping together indoors… sharing a restaurant meal without fear of contracting or spreading something deadly.

Surely we have all struggled to maintain our sanity in our exile, whether as families exhausted by too much enforced togetherness, or as single folks, like me, trying to dispel loneliness while living alone.

All the activities that I am most passionate about are group experiences that will be the last to safely return… live theatre, contra dancing, indoor in-person worship, and (here’s the biggie) choral singing. For me there’s no greater joy than making live music together with others. There something so magical when voices ascend together in harmony.

How glad I am that even in isolation I’m finding much to give thanks for.  A year ago, I had never heard of Zoom. Now I don’t know how I could have survived without it.  Friday night dances and games with friends across the country and around the globe have become a weekly delight. Tuesday morning Bible study and Wednesday Evening Prayer have brought peaceful and meaningful connections. Lenten Learning with Matt Linn has been so inspiring.

And choral singing?  I’m so thankful for the skills and hours of devotion so generously shared by Ingrid, Keith, and Colin enabling our choir to make a joyful noise. Since last year we have recorded well over 100 pieces. Each of us records a solo voice track, and with the miracle of technology, those get synched together into a virtual choir sound. It’s a mighty far cry from singing live together, but for now it is a blessing to cherish.

Post-pandemic times are coming nearer. I’ve had my first Pfizer jab and will get my 2nd right after Easter. I can scarcely wait to make up for lost hugging time. I wonder what we will look back on with thanks a year from now?  Meanwhile…

My life flows on in endless song;

  Above earth's lamentation,

I hear the real, tho' far-off hymn

  That hails a new creation.

Thro' all the tumult and the strife

  I hear the music ringing.

It sounds an echo in my soul—

  How can I keep from singing?

                     -Robert Wadsworth Lowry