Yes, I sang in the church choir this morning, but there are sadly no photos of the event. This is because I couldn't figure out how to use a smart phone on a stage in an ancient Church of England WITHOUT BEING NOTICED (also there was the request that I be sure my phone was switched off. That ended any fiddling).
We met early for a rehearsal, where the music director led us through each of the songs expertly well. He is a Scott with a decently strong accent, so I did not understand quite everything he said. But one thing became clear. I knew none of the songs for the day. This did not trouble me, however, since my father taught all of his children to read music from an early age (a.k.a. the moment we were born).
By the time we needed to meet in the choir room and prepare our hearts, the Scott had given us enough confidence to walk out there with heads held high. This is possibly the most important quality in a good music director - that, and being gentle with our mistakes.
After all the years of sharing with you the joys of a Church of England processional, I finally got to be a part of one. I was toward the front of the double line and close to the cross as it floated on ahead, carried by a tall young man whom I had seen before. The incense, the cross, the music, the Bible, and the people all helped set that collection of moments apart in my mind. Unforgettable.
The choir surrounded this newcomer with kindness itself. Throughout the service, the lady next to me gave little helpful instructions to keep me in the right place at the right time. Another lady helped me get a glass of water to put near my seat on the pew. A man said he would print me off a copy of the liturgical pages and put them into a folder for me. That way I can be ready "next time you come!" Another lady said they would never let me sit alone in the congregation again. "She's one of us, now." It was the sweetest thing.
And, there was dog-Tess at her spot, watching carefully for her cue to stand. She did it without a hitch.
In the end, we processed back to the choir room where the Vicar blessed and thanked us as a group. He apparently does this every week, and no one takes off any of their robes until he is done. Then the robes come off because it is HOT in them.
Tomorrow I will tell you about the second church service I attended today. It is also the Church of England, but is called "Wild Church" and did not have robes. Wild Church was splendid in a different way. I am still humming the songs they shared, and the moments spent there are also set apart in my mind, and therefore, unforgettable.
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