THE SOUND OF MUSIC     

I want to sing!  I want to open my heart and open my lungs and let it all belt out.  I want to express my joyful thoughts in music to gladden the heart of others.

Recent events have taken much of my joy away but music always soothes my soul and lifts my spirits.

Could there ever be a better way of expressing the joy of the heart and soul than by singing?  Unfortunately, when God handed out talents, he missed me off the musical list.

As a younger person,  I could belt out a tune that was recognisable, not particularly enjoyable to the ear  but singing gave me enjoyment and I loved to sing in the car, accompanied by whichever music I was listening to.  Barbra Streisand never had a better or more enthusiastic person to do a duet with, and Ann Murray would surely have enjoyed and been appreciative of my singing along.  Neil Diamond never sounded better than when I joined him in song.

About thirty years ago, on moving to Oliver, we bought a small motel and put in an RV park.  The showers, in the campground washrooms had rough, non slip floors, which were really hard to keep clean.  The rough texture was not a good surface to shed dirt and always looked grimy, whatever product used I tried.  I scrubbed away with vinegar, baking soda and many professional products, but nothing really ended up looking clean enough.

One day I sprinkled a professional cleaning solution on one of shower stall floors.  I followed this up with a heavy dose of professional strength bleach.  Instantly a cloud of noxious gas formed and I began to choke.  As I felt myself falling to the floor, I managed to totter a few steps to the open door and landed with my head in the fresh air.

I truly thought I would die, my throat closed almost shut and I was straining to draw air through to my lungs.  I must have lain there for quite a while until I was fit to sit up and eventually stand.  That put an end to experimenting with any sort of cleaning product, and it nearly put an end to me.  Since that time I do not seem to have the same lung capacity and no longer am able to sing more than a couple of notes.

Last week I went with a friend to her the wonderful Tenore at the Venables theatre.  They were accompanied by a wonderful choir of teenagers, from the Kelowna secondary school and also by our own Sage Valley Voices.  What a wonderful start to the Christmas season.  The packed house was enthralled by the collective voices and joined in a well loved carol, at the end of the show.

Oh the joy of being able to express yourself in such a wonderful way, to raise your heart and voice to the glory of God and the Christmas season.  My squeaky tones joined in with the rest of the audience and I know my soul soared to the ears of the Lord, even though my voice didn’t.