My Home and Family playlist has about 5 hours of music on it. There’s a lot of songs! There are songs we like to sing again and again, and artists we love to sing with. But, there is always something new even in those songs, something a new person points out, or a memory that comes up in the new context of one of our weekly get-togethers. Something that comes up often is that we were familiar with a song from the radio back in the day, and sang along with the chorus in the car, but when we sit there in the Fellowship Room looking at the words on the screen, singing along, we are surprised to see what the song is about. We didn’t know. We didn’t pay attention to the lyrics. Sweet Home Alabama surprised us this week. We looked up the political references in the song, and wow! So interesting. I thought that the really catchy and powerful instrumentals and verse distract from the verses. I sing the instrumentals when they’re that good. Even though missed a few of our “regulars”,...
I am thankful and blessed to spend my Thursday afternoons singing and chatting with lovely like-minded people. My Thankful and Grateful playlist was interesting. We talked a lot. Good discussion, some of it in support of each other and our personal concerns, some of it about how different versions of songs not only feel different but also shift the meaning , and as usual we had some surprising lyrics. (" How bout no longer being masochistic; How bout remembering your divinity") Many wonderful and beautiful things were listed in the songs. It reminded me of a quote I see a lot on social media: "How cool is it that the same God who created the mountains and oceans and galaxies looked at you and thought the world needed one of you too!" When I said it, I think I added butterflies and rainbows and skipped the part about looking at you. We are, each and all of us, magnificent miraculous creations. There are so many beautiful things to be grateful for, and there are ...