Sing A New Song

I've noticed that Abigail seems to have an appreciation for music. When she hears a song that she likes, she sways or bounces. She also stands up at the table and moves her legs as if she is showing us how she can dance. She has an incredibly surprising sense of rhythm too, which I don't mind saying is definitely inherited. This past weekend, we attended a church service in Grove City, and she was raising her hands and clapping. She gets so excited and it makes me smile to watch her learn new things. On our way back home, she sang along to The Temptations and Sam Cooke. She has a little piano that she pounds on every so often and she is very interested in getting ahold of Mike's guitar. Actually, she's interested in getting ahold of everything these days.

The Song Remembers When.

Music is in my soul. I am almost always, playing a song over in my mind. For as long as I can remember, I have been a very musical person. My appreciation for music is unsurpassed by my love for it, and I believe my passion for it comes from somewhere so deep, it is almost unexplainable. To me, a song can be reminisent of an experience, a moment, a state of mind. Songs can take us to another place in time, bring back memories if you will. I believe that music can be so powerful, that it can emotionally shake you to your core and physically affect the way you function at any given moment. One example of this happening to me was on the day that I married my Michael. Our song, we danced to it and it was the only dance there was that day. "I once was lost, but now I'm found...so far away, but I'm home now, I once was lost, but now I'm found...I once was dead, but now I live, now my life to you I give." I could barely stand during that song. Luckily, I didn't have to. Mike was there to hold me.
And then there's The Cathedral Quartet. Sandi would take the low part, and I would take the high part and we would sing and laugh at ourselves in the car. "Step into the water (to the water), wade out a little bit deeper (a little bit deeper), Wet your feet in the water of His love..." That's not the only one either, there were so many. As musically diverse as I am, she liked some music that even I had never heard of. I loved giving her a hard time about it. I still question some of her musical tastes to this day. (come on Sandi, feed my sheep?)
There are songs that take me back to childhood. The day my sister left home and never came back, it was...."wake me up, before you go go, cause I'm not planning on going solo..." On our annual trip to Florida, we would pile up in that cramped up RV. My mom loves old southern gospel music and she loves country classics like George Jones, Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, and Kenny Rogers. I still remember being rudely awakened by, "the race is on and here comes pride in the backstretch, heartache is going through the inside, my tears are holding back and trying not to fall..." I still love those songs today and I know them all by heart.
All creation is a song, don't you think? All creation worships. The birds that sing, the winds that whisper, the waters that rush; they are all a part of an intricate sound. One created to glorify. As a matter of fact, everything that exists sings. Music can make you fall in love, it can build a bridge, melt a hardened heart, and communicate an expression that maybe words alone could never do. It can make the wrong thing right by chasing away sorrows, just like prayer. Then again, prayer can be a song all in itself too. People forget, but the song always remembers when...
"The moon is high and the sunset fades. The lullabies have all been sung. We’re tucking in another day, and stars appear now one by one. The stillness moves and the silence yields, yet not a single beat is lost. You can hear the chorus in the fields, taking up where we left off. And Your praise goes on, rising to Your throne, where You guard us while we dream. Past the stars they fly, Your praises fill the sky, until You wake us with the dawn, and Your praise goes on. Now bring your warmth, Oh morning sun. Chase the stars and the moon away. Wake us with your brightest song, and add our voice to your refrain. Now rise up everything that lives, flap your wings and leap for joy. Oh, forest lift your arms and sway, clap your hands you ocean waves! And Your praise goes on, rising to Your throne, where You bless our toil and play. Through the clouds they rise, Your praises fill the skies, until the setting of the sun, and Your praise goes on. And when my final breath You lend, I’ll thank You for the life You gave. But that won’t mean the praises end, Cause I won’t be silenced by the grave. And Your praise goes on, I’ll be running to Your throne, every nation, tribe and tongue. To Your arms I’ll fly, I’ll gaze into Your eyes. Then I’ll know, as I am known... And Your praise goes on."

The Lion King

This past weekend, Mike and I went to Pittsburgh to see the Broadway production of The Lion King. The play was at the Benedum Center, which is downtown in the cultural arts district. The city is bustling with activity, and we both found it to be a rather refreshing experience. The cultural arts district reminds me of an upscale Short North or Arena District, only with less traffic and narrower streets. From everything to visual arts, or the ballet, to a gallery crawl or cabaret and the symphony; the city seems to have something for everyone.
As we entered the theatre, the sweet aroma of candied almonds made our mouths water. Needless to say, we splurged on some of those during the intermission. The play was wonderful and the depth of talent that was displayed was unmatched to anything I've seen in a long time. The thing that impressed me most was the music. Not only did the singers showcase their beautiful african songs, their voices were incredibly controlled. I have always liked the the theatre and the ballet, and now that we have moved so close to a city that is thriving in cultural arts, I hope that we can be patrons of this kind of entertainment more often.