Swinging her legs, Gretchen hugged her teddy bear close. The pew was hard and she was BORED. It was only adults, winter dresses and suits for as far as she could see, a CROWD of browns, tans, and an occasional bright scarf. She leaned back, closed her eyes and waited for the opening CHORD. It was a magic she could rely upon: the moment when the standing grown-ups would turn into a flock of tuneful birds. Her eyes closed, she is lifted up by the song, feeling alive and peaceful, suspended and yet energized. Many years later, when she was among the elders at the Zen monastery, she would speak of this as the beginnings of her search for God.

Georg’ann

My 5th grade teacher had us start each morning singing
“You Light Up My Life”
And “Morning Has Broken” while she played the piano
Mrs. Johnson let me know I was no GREAT singer, her appraisal still smarts.
True, I may not have been destined to join the CHOIR,
Yet what was the need to make my joyful voice constrict,
in the midst of her intended musical praise for our day?
Struck the wrong CHORD
A lifetime reverberation

Heather