Keep It All In the Family

The real title of this should be,"How was I so blessed to be born into a family where I am surrounded by people who love music (or at least have to tolerate it because the rest of the family does). From my three sisters who rope each other into singing together (not as much as we used to--multiplying and replenishing the earth kind of limits your extra time), even though we have to drag Lisa (who happens to be the youngest) out of "retirement" to sing each time (& then she begrudgingly willingly helps Sherri on the soprano), and on to Dad, Uncle Darrell, and my cousin David Knowles, who I always beamed with pride when I was young to see them up there as the core of the Army National Guard 23rd band trombone section (with another member that we still claim on piccolo) to cousins and an uncle who should form their own quintet and go traveling around to sing "Coney Island Babe." And of course, we can't forget my parents--Dad, who as one of that trombone core secretly also longs to direct the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and practices along with them each Sunday morning, and Mom, who will just be organist the rest of her life. What a blessing it is to be surrounded by people who enjoy life and its beauties and can be friends as well. My sisters are my best friends--although we have our ins and outs with life and we've each had interesting challenges to deal with, we are truly supports to each other and the things we've experienced together have forged a bond that is unique and can't be broken. I also love improvising with my sisters--they each feel in different ways musically and spiritually, but we have all been able to do some amazing things together with hymns and spiritual music that have been wonderful. The same goes for all members of my family, I think--when you experience things together, you really come together. There's others--maybe not blood related, but we're heavenly family related, that have been such a great influence in my life. People like the one and only Evelyn Harris (and Lynn), who have done so much good and taught so many. There's people I have been put together with so we could share some amazing moments in life and music--Kelli Houston Figgins and her "Be Still My Soul" and "I Stand All Amazed," Kara Brandt and her husband Rob and their "Because He Lives." These are times that are great strengthening memories to me, as I can still feel the power of the words and music combined that spoke directly to my soul (and that of those listening) from a Heavenly Father who cares so deeply and speaks to us when we need His comfort, love, and reassurance. We have the best men's ward choir in the Church (in my humble opinion). A few weeks ago, as we sang "Brightly Beams the Fathers' Mercy (I was the lone female trying to unobtrusively provide some supportive accompaniment), and they went acappella into the third verse, I thought this is what heaven is--an absolutely perfectly unified choir of people working together in their own way to render something magnificent and poignant--it was a direct reflection of what we do in the Church, in our wards, in our families--when we can all unitedly come together in absolutely perfect harmony, the results are stunning, life-changing, and life-lifting--we are truly lifted to another sphere, along with those we serve and those we serve with. That's what life is really all about--trying to do our best to come together with our talents, with the various families that surround us, and unitedly work more fully to achieve the perfection of our Heavenly Father--to truly create heaven and its perfect union and standards here on earth. Let's keep singing and working together so we can create more perfectly that harmony with each other and with Him!