A Blessing of Music

I've written a few times about my experience at Rick's and how it changed my life, musically speaking.

Christmas time used to be full of music for me. Practicing at home, practicing for hours at school, performances at church, in the community, in my family. My life used to be full of music around this time of year. I'd start feeling Christmassy right around September, when my high school choir class began learning the songs for the Christmas program.

It's been a long time since I've had a whole lot of overwhelming musical obligations around Christmastime. For the last eight years at least, I've just had one number to practice: the one I would perform at my voice class's christmas recital. One piece of music isn't that big a deal.

This last year and a half, I have committed to learn to singing classically. I have wanted to for a long time, and something about last year and the year before has bought me across that boundary of confidence I needed to really, whole-heartedly and seriously pursue it.

I've said some prayers. One answer I got was: you need to stop using bushels. You need to use your talent and the skills you've learned in the setting most important to Me, and that is at church. Go to ward choir.

I've been going. It's been hard. Church is the last frontier for me, confidence-wise... my voice cracks on every single high note (or used to until recently, when I've begun to grimly power my way through them instead of being ashamed of my voice.)

Well, I've been blessed this christmas season. Suddenly, music has flooded my life. I have a piece to learn for my recital, as usual, but also my family is coming out on Thanksgiving, and I am learning 2 pieces and a choir number (and kind of directing the choir number) for the CD that our extended family puts out every year.

I am directing the homeschool choir. We are singing a two lovely songs, one of them for christmas. I'm in the ward choir, and so we're prepaing for that. There is a messiah sing-in going on, and I'm considering going to the practices for that.

I have been asked to perform, with Skywalker accompanying me, in the ward christmas program.

I have four little girls learning THEIR christmas pieces for THEIR christmas recital and their sweet voices... Loli and Bella, who sing so well already. MayMay, who is improving in leaps and bounds, being able to stay on key only recently, and sing in her head voice. Jaws, whose voice is so sweet it just makes you shiver to hear it.

I'm amazed at how prayers are answered, and very grateful to be overwhelmed with joy and with music at this time of year again: music with friends, family, church, and also for myself, now.