My Church Job

We finished with our church children's choir compilation of all the songs we had been learning all year and performed the choir numbers in an all children's program Sunday called "The Primary Presentation". I am the choir director or "chorister" and I had chosen most of the songs and the musical instruments and trios to go along with talks by the children on different topics of the gospel. I think that this year, having resonator bells played by the older kids (11 year olds) as accompaniment to one of the songs was very fun to hear. We also had 2 little violinists play along with "Come Follow Me" a very beautiful song sung often at church about the Savior. My favorite was Army of Helamon. We had 4 little boys sing the 3rd verse together and they couldn't sing a note on key. It was at the same time tear jerking and comical. I loved those boys because they sang so powerfully with all their souls, but it still sounded kinda awful, and made everybody giggle. But the chorus where the children sing, "We are as the Army of Helamon, we have been taught in our youth, and we will be the Lord's missionaries, to bring the world his Truth." Now that just brings tears to anybody's eyes, I don't care if you are the most stoic of old men.

As I turned to direct the whole congretation on the last chorus of this song, I  watched as these little ones
sang their little hearts out. I could not help but notice many women and men nod their heads in tears as their hearts were touched. I love that about church. It doesn't take much for me to get all sappy, I am the type to cry at a Hallmark commercial I'm watching all by myself in the dark! But I also know when a message from a song speaks out to hearts who are hearing that message and being touched by it. I love that power that music has over people. I always feel it when I hear Sara McLachlan or Gosh Grobin or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing a deeply moving song. I guess I have music in my blood. I remember as a little 2nd grader singing my heart out in my parents' Catholic Church in Redondo Beach, California. I would belt out "Faith of Our Fathers, Holy Faith, We will be true to Thee till death!" And by golly I meant every stinkin word of it! I guess I still do believe it. I'm a Christian through and through and I'm not really ashamed to admit it. I treasure the knowledge. Oh Happy DAY!

I love the job I've got at church and at school. Working with sweet little kids is a dream come true. I need to pinch myself even on the hard days to remind myself to appreciate the gifts I have in life. One being that I am a teacher. I teach for a living, and even for recreation and to give back to the community. Kids keep me 50 something years young. And  my students remembered my birthday which touched and surprised me.
 They all said happy birthday to me in little letters they scrawled  on the back of their spelling tests last
week. And I've given them the job of telling me anything they want me to know, something they are bugged about, or asking me any questions they want answered. And believe me, they really get down to anything personal they want to know. Talk about your ENQUIRING MINDS!!! I wish I had saved some of these cute letters over the years. If I ever have a down day, they would certainly be a box of brightness in my little world. First graders sure do color that world of mine so richly. That's why I am in the teaching profession. This is why I'm lucky to do what I do. Life is good.