God Told Me

The other day I asked God "How can I access your strength? You told me that You will be my strength, but I don't know how that works." 
The thing is, I come from a family of strong people, and it's anathema to say that we are not feeling strong. But sometimes I think that not knowing how to admit weakness is a fatal flaw for us. 
I admit it: I am weak. I have no strength left within me. And I am at a place where I desperately need God to step in. 
So back to my question. No more than 30 seconds after asking, thoughts starting flooding my mind:

• What if leaning on God's strength simply means remembering my salvation?
• What if it's as simple as knowing that no matter what happens to me here and now, in the next phase of life after this earthly existence, I am saved from eternal damnation? 
• What if nothing here matters to me in light of my sure salvation?

I know that what I do here matters; that's not what I'm saying, and I don't think that's what He was saying to me. But my reaction to the things that happen here can make or break me. 

For too long I have allowed circumstances to evoke a reaction in me: A strong stance for or against (whatever). I have allowed other people's opinions and preferences to sway me from the truth. I have put on a mask of strength so that no one can see how broken I am. I have disguised my pain, hidden my suffering, and even downplayed my triumphs so I don't offend or discomfort anyone.

I think what God was saying is that the joy of the Lord is my strength. I take joy in my salvation and that gives me strength to face whatever it is that I am facing. And that the things I am doing here in my earthly existence are building blocks for my heavenly life to come. I am working toward the place God has for me. 

And the trials I face here give me a story to tell; a witness for Him. I have been there and made it through. I leaned into His strength and He helped me endure. I failed, but then I persevered and made it through.

My stories can encourage others to be strong; to lean on Him and His strength. 

What if every time I feel weak, I say - out loud if necessary - "I am saved from hell by the blood of Christ. No evil worked against me shall prosper. No matter the outcome here, I will not only survive, but thrive. And God's work will be done!" 

What a sense of freedom this gives me! Stress, worry, and fear drain away. 
What joy and hope! My hearts fills and goes soaring.
And above all what STRENGTH is mine, through Him!

NOTE: I understand that these are not new thoughts in general, and that I may have even said some of these same things before. What I will say to that is this: sometimes it takes me a long time to hear and understand. And I don't guarantee that it will sink in all the way this time. I need time, as we all do, to ponder, play with, push around, discuss, and absorb new insights. Your thoughts are encouraged and very welcome.

New Year, New Me

January 25, 2014

One of the best verses I know in the Bible is this:

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

NOTHING can separate me from God’s love! What a comfort that is!

Jesus loves me, this I know…and I know that I know because He tells me every day, in so many, many ways. Just a few

weeks ago, after my cousin had a very serious health problem, I was praying for her and that God would flip the switch for her; that He would just reach into her life and turn off that thing that was primary in causing her health problems. And while I prayed for her, I threw in a prayer for myself. I thought: “if I can pray this prayer for someone else, why is it so hard to pray it for myself? God, please flip the Pepsi switch in my brain to the ‘off’ position!”

On Thursday, January 9, (three days later) I woke up, got ready, drove to work, and didn’t stop for a Pepsi on the way in. I got myself some water, sat down at my desk, and didn’t go for a pop from the cooler – but I kept refilling my water glass. I bought lunch and didn’t order a Pepsi. And the funny thing was that I didn’t even notice that I wasn’t interested. When I did finally notice, I asked myself if I wanted/needed one, and my answer was a very surprised “no”.

For those who don’t know me very well, I have been a die-hard Pepsi-holic for 40 years now. I have tried and tried to give it up. I only succeeded during my pregnancies and breast-feeding (because I can do it for someone else, just not for myself. Serious psychology, there!) Then as soon as each baby was weaned, it was back to the bottle! I drank diet for a while, but it was too hard on me so I switched back to regular. I have prayed, I have fasted, I have made it as long as three weeks without it, but it was always a fight, every step of the way.

And then on this fateful Thursday, God reached down and flipped the switch! And the funny thing is I have made it through two “high-Pepsi” occasions since then: a 4 day trip to Ocean Shores with my girlfriends (usually a 4 20 oz. bottle a day x 4 days splurge) and moving not just myself, but Ken and Nicole on the same day (extra heavy stress, which is always an excuse for more Pepsi). But not once did I want a Pepsi. Not during the two day headache of caffeine withdrawal, not during the still ongoing drag of getting used to the lack of caffeine and sugar in my blood stream.

The funny thing is that Pepsi isn’t appealing to me, nor is it unappealing. It’s just neutral. It truly is not a factor in my life anymore. I know some of you are saying “we’ll see” and “here we go again”. That’s fine. I have seen and I believe and I can’t wait to see the rest of the story!

I have replaced the pop with water. Yes, just plain old water. And it tastes GOOD! Usually water only tastes good to me in the summer. Sugary substances are starting to taste bad to me now; too sweet or just downright yucky. I’m so pleased!

I was joking with a friend that the next thing God would do was make me want to walk! Then, on my way home the other night, I heard a commercial for signups for the Susan G Komen 3-Day, and this is something Nicole and I have been talking about doing some year. I thought “maybe this is the year…?” Then I thought that probably it would have to be next year, if I started training now to get in shape for it. I know that they have a training program they ask you to do to get ready for it, and it gradually helps you arrive at the 20 miles a day mark without killing yourself to do it. Then I thought “Wait a minute! Very funny, God!!! You almost tricked me into that one!”

Actually, I am still thinking of contacting the 3-Day people and explaining my situation (wanting to go from sedentary to 60 miles/three days) and asking if they have a 2 year plan! J

The thing that truly strikes me about the movement I see in my life right now is this: God is keeping me unconscious of what He is doing until well after He’s already done it. I call it “tricking” me, but really He’s using the true desires of my heart to move me out of a bad and dangerous life situation, into something healthy and life-giving! He knows, and I have admitted more than once through tears and pain and anguish that only He can make the changes in me that are needed. And He is starting to make those changes. And I say “watch out world, here we come!”

So many major things in my life have changed in the past year:

·         I’ve moved twice

·         I’ve changed churches (I now attend Mars Hill in Shoreline)

·         I’ve changed positions at work – movin’ on up!

·         I’ve changed bosses.

·         I’ve been through the scariest year of my life, health-wise (everything’s okay; the process of figuring that out was the scary part)

But what I have learned is that God loves me. He is here beside me; sometimes through His Word; sometimes through the voices of my daughters, or my pastor, or my friends, or complete strangers; sometimes in the sunrise or sunset or in the beautiful mountain ranges that surround me. And sometimes, in my darkest nights, He is there in the words of the music He has given me. Whether it is on the radio or in the pages of my choir book, He has reached out to me in music, touched my heart, and healed me of my sorrows.

And I have learned (am still learning?) that it’s okay to ask for help, and to ask for prayer. And I’ve learned that I have cared too much what other people think about what I can and can’t do, and not enough about what I know God can do. And I’ve learned that I have put my trust in myself instead of God, even though I would have sworn that wasn’t true.

I have learned, much to my chagrin, that I have a very bad habit of letting myself talk when I should be shutting up. Just because something is true doesn’t mean I have to say it. And I certainly don’t have to say it to everyone I know, especially when it puts another person in a bad light. And because of this bad habit, and my wanting to stop it, and being unable to do so in my own power, I have learned the meaning of the most confounding, confusing passage in the Bible (for me):

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, Who delivers me through Christ Jesus our Lord!” (Romans7:15-25)

Until I was ready to believe this passage completely and utterly in my heart, God did not allow me to understand it. It’s not really as difficult as I always thought it was; I just wasn’t ready to hear it. What I now understand is that without God in my life, and without me giving Him complete control, without my faith in Jesus as my Savior, I cannot do anything to save myself. I cannot quit sinning. I cannot do the right thing - even though it is the deepest desire of my heart - because of my sin nature. If I could do it myself, I wouldn’t need a savior. And I do! Oh how I do! Good thing I found Him, huh?

God has been speaking to me about my health for some time now. As I watch others around me stricken with problems, some brought on by bad health habits, some by disease, some by genetics, and some for who-knows-what reason, I have taken myself to task about my own bad habits. And as I watch my own body begin to break down from years of abusive eating (and Pepsi drinking) habits, I cannot believe how bad it’s become. But even so, once again, I find I cannot do anything in my own power. Only the power of Jesus, alive in me, can heal my body and my mind and my spirit.

So I am taking it – truly – one day/one meal at a time. I do what I can each day and I don’t beat myself up for what I can’t do or haven’t done. And someday soon, I’ll make it through a whole day eating only healthy foods. And then a week. And one day I’ll look up and find a whole new me looking back in that old mirror. And won’t that be a blessing?

Feb 14, 2014

I figured that even though I haven’t posted this blog yet, I should probably check in and say how I’m doing: I’m still not drinking Pepsi!!! 5 weeks now; can you believe it?

As of yesterday I had lost 8 lbs. I keep saying that it’s only from the lack of Pepsi, but really too often when I stopped for a Pepsi in the morning, I’d also pick up a pastry or mini donuts and chow down. I don’t do that so much anymore because I’m not stopping for pop every day. Since my move to Bothell, I’ve changed my route home, so the evil Blizzard doesn’t call my name quite so often. And I’ve started cooking for myself on the weekends so that I have food for the week at work and at dinnertime.

It doesn’t feel like I’ve done very much, but one thing truly has led to another. It’s pretty awesome, here where I’m standing! I still have a long way to go; I know that. But I’m feeling encouraged that God is here beside me, walking every step of the way with me.

Happy Valentine’s Day, my dears. Love to you all, from me and my One True Love. J (Hint: His initials are J.C. and He loves you as much as He loves me. AND I’m more than happy to share Him with the whole wide world!)

New Year, New Project

I was browsing at Barnes and Noble the other day and happened upon a book entitled "The Book of Me". Promising title, yes? What it is, is a prompted memoir writing tool. Or, if you're me, a whole bunch of cool questions to blog about! So, starting in January some time, I will be writing a blog all about me. Because nothing I've ever written before has ever been about me, right? I know!
It looks as if some of the questions will require interviews with others so that I can accurately record my fascinating history. That's cool, I can do interviews. And this may actually give me something to talk about when I spend time with someone. It's hard to keep up my end of the conversation when I have little or no human contact outside of work...
I hope you join me in this fun journey back through my life. It could go to some very interesting places...some of which I'm not prepared to share just yet. But then again, it could be a jumping-off place for a lot of deep healing. Who knows? God does, that's for sure!
And, if the world really does end tomorrow, this will be the shortest almost memoir EVER! :)

I went to Leavenworth with my Sonus Boreal ladies and Stu (our Fearless Leader) on the weekend of Dec. 7-9. We stayed at a fabulous home in Cashmere, about 12 miles out of Leavenworth. We arrived in town and set up in the gazebo (mainstage) and started singing around 4:00 Friday afternoon. We sang straight through until 6:00. That's twice through the music, plus two songs!
We performed a few old classics: We Wish You a Merry Christmas, O Come All Ye Faithful, O Tannenbaum, Silent Night, the Christmas Song, Ding Dong Merrily on High, Carol of the Bells/Sing We Now of Christmas, and a medley of Happy Holidays and We Need a Little Christmas, that our arranger, Norm, titled "We Need a Happy Holiday". We also did a couple of not-so-familiar songs: We'll Dress the House, Es Ist Ein Ros Ent Sprungen (I don't even know how to spell this...German is not my thing!), Light the Legend (a Hannukah song), and The Star Still Shines - which is my new favorite Chirstmas song.
Saturday we carolled for an hour, then performed on stage for an hour, took a two hour break, and performed for another hour. Sunday was only an hour total.
It was a beautiful, snowy weekend and the town was lit up in it's usual holiday splendour.
What I found particularly wonderful about the weekend - apart from the fact that Josh and Beth and the babies and Shirl & Karl were there - is that 25 women spent 3 solid days in each other's company without one problem! For real! No arguments, no crankiness, no issues at all. And this with only 3 bathrooms for all of us! I love my choir!!!
That's all I know right now. May God bless you and keep you. May God make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May God lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26
Merry Christmas! I love you, one and all (especially YOU!).

Adventures in Mass Transit, Part 2

Can you name Part 2 differently than Part 1? Too bad, I just did it!
So...after work (leaving early, you'll remember), I trotted down to NE 8th St. Okay, trotted might be too strong a word. Walked fairly quickly (for me) might be more accurate. I did the 1/2 mile in 10 minutes, if that counts, thus proving that I CAN, indeed, make it to the bus stop each day within my 16 minute limit. Once again I was early and caught the bus before the one I was going to catch.
Wow. They sure hire some lovely people to drive the bus, don't they? Mr. Lovely did wave me through when my Orca Pass didn't work, I'll give him that, but I think it was because he didn't want to wait for me to fumble for the change to pay with.
We got closer to downtown Bellevue and he showed how truly wonderful he could be by 1) blasting his horn and yelling at the driver next to him, 2) even going so far as to call him a "dumb-a**", and 3) running a red light!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME???
Every time we were able to go, he slammed on the gas and when we had to stop he slammed on the brakes. We didn't get in any accidents. That's a good thing.
So, I'm once again stuck between the 2 Starbucks' and wondering if I'm ever going to survive this bus thing and along comes the Everett bus. YAY! A peaceful ride back to my car at the P&R! Except I forgot that it was Friday, and we had to take the freeway. Well, we only arrived 7 minutes late, so I guess that's okay. And I'm not sure what happened to the hour and 5 minute commute idea. That must have been without the walk time from work to the bus stop, which I neatly forgot to count.
Overall, the whole bus experience was okay. I'm not discouraged yet!
And about that Orca Pass...I now have this vague memory of the HR lady asking me if I was using the thing or should she cancel it...My bad!! Cost me 5 bucks, because I didn't have change, but it was a cheap lesson, I suppose.
Note to self: Bring change for the bus, just in case!

My Adventures with Mass Transit, Part 1

Taking the bus. Wow, I never thought I’d be doing this again! But there comes a time in everyone’s life when circumstances all come together and there you are, doing something you never thought you would.

In my life, a lowered income, the threat of $5.00/gallon gasoline, a long commute, an aching tendon in my clutch-pumping foot, a changed bus schedule, a roommate moving out, and my company supplying an Orca pass, all conspired to make me a bus rider again, for the first time since high school.

That’s a lot of conspiracy going on, isn’t it? I’ve been checking the bus routes and when I first started working here, it was a 4 hour trip. The next time I checked it had come down to 2 ½ hours. Then when I checked yesterday, it was only 1 hour, 5 minutes (if I can walk fast enough after work to get to the bus stop on time!).

So off I went this morning, leaving home at 6:26 to make it 1 mile down the road before 6:43, driving to the Park and Ride near my house, finding a parking spot, getting to my “Bay”, and lo and behold! the bus number I wanted was just pulling up! Of course this was the bus before the one I was trying to catch, because I had left so early...

I waved my Orca pass, it beeped (yes! I’d sorta been holding my breath, a little, maybe), and I found my seat at the very front of the bus, near the driver, because I can see my stop better from there. (…?) I pulled out my glasses and my Kindle, and settled down to read a book - on my way to work!

Then I pulled my glasses off, put my Kindle away, and checked to be sure we hadn’t arrived in Bellevue while I wasn’t looking, even though we had only left the S. Everett P&R 5 minutes ago. >>sigh<<

After two more of these compulsive incidents, I finally just left the Kindle in my purse and watched traffic. We arrived at the Bellevue Transit Center right on time, which was 21 minutes before my next bus. Wouldn’t you know that this non-coffee girl got set down smack-dab between two Starbucks? They don’t even have good hot chocolate there! (Sorry, Amy, but they don’t!) This is probably a good thing.

So I once again pulled out the Kindle, only to immediately put it away. Busses come early, you know. And if I’m reading, I can’t see my bus show up. The bus finally arrived, and then sat there for 4 minutes, because it was ahead of schedule.  At least it was warm inside. We pulled away from the stop, and then I got really nervous. Some of the stops were quite a way between. How would I know when to pull the little cord to ding the bell to alert the driver that I wanted to get off?

I finally moved to the front (two seats up) and told the driver which stop I needed. She let me know it was the next stop, so I sat right there to make sure she stopped for me. I didn’t want her to forget, or get distracted and miss the stop or anything. Good thing that guy pulled the cord that dinged the bell, just in case!

When I got off the bus I had to cross the street, and the light took forever. The bus dropped me off at 7:51, so I only had 9 minutes to get to work - a block away. I made it to work in time to fill my water cup, get a cup of tea, and log in just before 8:00.

Whew! I can’t wait to see what the evening’s adventures bring! Of course, I’m getting off work 15 minutes early so I can be sure to be at the stop on time…

I know what you’re thinking, but this time it makes sense! After work my stop is ½ mile away, and I have to get there before 5:16, getting off work at 5:00. I’m overweight and out of shape, so I’m not sure how fast I’ll be able to walk it. It should take about 10 minutes. Aaaahhhhh! I don’t have enough time! I’ll never make it! Oh wait. Today I have an extra 15 minutes. I’ll let you know how that goes. J

(This really is what goes on in my head. And it’s probably the same kind of stuff that goes on in your head too; you’re just not crazy enough to admit it.)

Almost forgot the points game: 100 points to anyone who can tell me which bus I take from work to the Bellevue Transit Center.

The Trip Home

I got so excited about the conference that I forgot to continue the saga:
We all piled back in the van, with the addition of Lisa. We heard rumors that the pass was closed/had been closed, but was now open/was open, but may close, so we rushed off toward home. We stopped in Ellensburg to change clothes and get something to eat, then headed up over them thar hills.
It started looking a little snowy around Cle Elum, and by the time we hit Easton the pass was, indeed, closed. So there we sat. For about an hour, we sat. It was really pretty up there in the snow. The snow flakes were huge and fat, and it was truly a winter wonderland. What a lovely interlude in an already lovely day!
We had actually started thinking of various alternate plans. Plan B: drive back to Yakima and on into Oregon. Plan C: Aunt Jenny volunteered to book us a hotel in Ellensburg, where she had stopped for a rest. Plan D: I could call David and ask to use the retreat center over night, it being right there in Cle Elum and all.
Then wonder of wonders, things started moving! What was normally a 3 hour trip took 5 1/2, but we made it home!
Cheryl dropped us at Choir Jenny #2's house. Mom picked Lisa and I up from there and took us back to her house to get my car. I drove Lisa to meet her family in Everett, then I went on to my wonderful, warm, inviting home! And straight to bed! Never felt so good to be in my own bed, with my own non-smoky air. Not to mention without the threat of smelling like I'd hung out in a bar all night. How does one wash a suit case, anyway?
It was quite an adventuresome weekend and I truly appreciate the time I was able to spend with Aunt Jenny. It just proved to me once again that I need to make more of an effort to see her more often. She truly is one of my closest friends and my heart-sister.
Well, that's quite enough excitement for one weekend. I'm going to kick back and watch TV today and get my laundry done.
Oh, and then there's that little treat at 8:00 pm on ABC, Once Upon a Time! If you haven't seen it, check it out. You'll love it!

Thoughts on Yakima

This weekend, as you may have read in a previous posting, was Sonus Boreal's clinic at the Washington Music Educators Association Conference in Yakima. Here's how that went:
My Friday started off with my annual visit to the dermatologist. I've had a pre-cancer on my face before, so we're checking regularly for anything new. This worked out well as 1) there were no new anythings, and 2) I would have had to take time off of work to get my checkup, but I had the day off anyway for our choir trip.
I was meeting Mom at noon for lunch, so I scurried up to Marysville after my appointment, only to find no sign of Mom. Okay, I was early, so I called and left a message that I was heading to Wal-Mart for a little spontaneous snack shopping for the trip. Done with Wal-Mart, I called again. Still no Mom. Off to the new Dollar Tree I had spotted on my way in, then I headed over to Mom's and rang the bell. At this point it's noon, so I figured I was right on time for our arranged lunch. She ought to be home by now, and she was. And very surprised to see me! Seems she'd forgotten to write me in on her calendar...AND she'd already eaten lunch!
So she went with me to grab something to eat. Our chosen destination had a line of about 10 people, so we ended up at KFC, then she dropped me off at Choir Jenny #2's house (we have 3 Jennys in choir and my sister-in-law Jenny, and I don't like to name last names on my blog).
We loaded into Cheryl's van (Cheryl, Cindy, Choir Jenny #2, and I) and off to Yakima we headed. The trip out was nice and we only had to stop once on the way - this is pretty much a miracle, considering the amount of coffee, Pepsi, and water being consumed!
We arrived around 4:30 and the ladies dropped me off at the exhibition hall where I met up with Aunt Jenny (my afore-mentioned s-i-l), who works for a book publisher and had a table at the conference.
When she finished up for the day, we headed out to check into our hotel room.
All I can say about that room is "YIKES!" I think they use that room so that the staff who smoke have an indoor break room. And I think they were there right before we checked in. And I think they may have even come in several times during the night, just so we wouldn't lose any of that "just-smoked-in" ambiance. Yes, she requested a non-smoking room. But they were out and their excuse was that they couldn't find the phone number of the travel agency to call them back. You know, that obscure little company, American Express? Yeah.
We went out to dinner, and after a short wait, were seated at the table right next to 1) the front door, where all the hungry people were lurking over our table, and 2) the bar, where a duo was crooning 70's songs. Yes! Oh wait...NO! Off-tune and wobbly as all get out. Although they looked a little bit like Simon and Garfunkel, they sounded NOTHING like them. They had volume, though. I'll give them that!
After dinner we went back to the hotel, gabbed for a bit, and went to sleep. Only to have Aunt Jenny  wake up sick from something she ate. Or the smoke. Or both. Not sure which. So after a long night, filled with dreams of Jenny asking me to sleep in the van because of my snoring, we awoke. We got ready, took one look at the free breakfast provided by the hotel, and went elsewhere.
We found this lovely little place, Mel's diner, over on First Ave. They served BIG breakfasts and we were quite content. Jenny wisely stuck to just toast. I called the choir ladies and they were out looking for breakfast and said they'd call back when they found a place to eat. Lo and behold: they ended up at Mel's! 
I climbed back into Cheryl's van and away we went to rehearse. We hadn't found a place to rehearse prior to leaving for Yakima, thinking there would be somewhere at the hotel. Well, the "hotel" was a motel and all it had were parking spots. Kari made some quick calls and the Nazarene Church in Yakima opened their doors to us for a quick hour of rehearsal.
Going in to this presentation, I was not very confident in my memorization of the songs we were singing. After all, we were to be singing in three languages. I actually had the two Latin ones and the English one down, but the Swedish one was just plain beyond me. I thought I could fake it, but imagine my relief when our Fearless Leader gave the word at rehearsal that we could use our music!
We headed back into town for the big presentation. We started out with a double choir presentation of a song called "Pueri Hebraeorum". It's about the children bringing olive branches to throw down before the Lord on Palm Sunday. They were shouting and declaiming: "Glory to God in the highest". We (choir 1) sang the first part, then choir 2 echoed us. We echoed back and forth for most of the song, and at one point we actually had all 4 parts of both choirs singing different things! WAY cool!
Then Fearless Leader spoke about how the idea for the choir began via Facebook, Sara spoke about how the founders actually started the choir, and Choir Jenny #1 spoke about how we go about business on the internet.
We then sang two songs, back to back: "Vitae Lux", a song about the light of life, and "Gabriella's Sang", from a movie in which the singing of this song is the pivotal point in the main character's life, that calls the end to the abuse she's been suffering at the hands of her husband. They gave us a standing ovation! (Tears!)
Another couple of testimonies: Lisa speaking about music as a non-negotiable in her life, Loren on what a difference music teachers have made in her own and her children's lives and what a resource teachers have in parents and grand parents, Dr. Ann speaking about how music affects people physically, mentally, and spiritually, and Diane speaking about how music affected her through her children's lives, and now has rescued her from the pains of life.
This was followed by some question and answer time. The first question was the big money question: "Would we consider doing this presentation again in other communities, as a sort of commercial for what could be?" YES!!! This is our mission! This is what we long to do!
The second comment was equally wonderful: The gentleman basically said that he was really impressed first by our being so confident in our music; everyone knew right where they were at all times and were extremely competent, and second, by the way we expressed the meaning of the song through our singing. He said that even though it was in Swedish, it was no surprise to him when he glanced down and saw the words we were singing in the English on his program. We exactly conveyed the feeling behind the song. (more tears!)
Please hear my heart. I am not bragging, but confirming something here: we have worked so hard for the very things that this man confirmed that he saw in our performance.
We want people to feel the joy of corporate music, but we also want them to realize what is possible using the resources at hand - by which I mean that all it takes is looking around and gathering up everyday people with a heart for music.
The choir has only been together for about two years, and half of us only since September. But with commitment by willing, hard working people we have achieved something wonderful!
Brava, Sonus Boreal! I am pleased and honored to be a part of such a fine and worthy undertaking with such fine people!

To see what we're all about, please visit our website at http://www.northernsound.org/.