The Right Song

Covid makes planning a Christmas program difficult. I was limited to two musical numbers. I would do a solo, and I asked a mother and son to play a duet on the piano. The important part was picking the right song. I don’t remember ever deciding. I just knew the song. I searched for arrangements and lyrics to practice. I never found anything I particularly wanted to emulate. They were all beautiful, but not quite what I was looking for, which is good, I guess because it allows me to create something new.

I planned to do the song acapella, but then I ran into one of my favorite accompanists and I knew I should ask her to play for me. She happily agreed. We practiced together twice. All of this was covid safe.

I sat on the stand and watched Kirsten and her son play “The First Noel”. He looked so confident and handsome. She was so relaxed and beautiful. They played together, nodding their heads to the beat, counting, and hitting each complicated chord with perfect timing. The great part about duets is that you can do things you can’t do on your own. The chords were so satisfyingly complex.

I kept my Winnie the Pooh mask on my face and began singing acapella. My accompanist joined in on the second verse. I felt myself breathing through the song. I felt a kind of relaxation that I knew was a spiritual gift enabling me to sing out clearer than I’ve ever been able to sing before. I felt the words penetrate my heart and I knew that this was exactly what Heavenly Father wanted me to share with my fellow brothers and sisters at church. It was a gift for me and for them. I felt pure joy and I felt honored to be able to carry the message in my voice.

I didn’t record it yesterday because it was church and I just didn’t want to do that yesterday. So, today at work, I decided to just sing the words without the piano to try and recapture a little bit of what happened yesterday. It isn’t the same, but it’s a good effort. Kalene really is a wonderful piano player.

Merry Christmas! I will probably sing more music throughout the week.

Don’t mind the hair or the face. I am a mess.