We were missing singers due to illness; had to make last-minute changes to the Festival of Light musicians; and a miscommunication meant one of our quartet singers didn’t even know we were performing until it was time for rehearsal (yikes!). 🤦♀️
So, I’m obviously very grateful that all those glitches got worked out…thank you, God!
But there are other things for which I’m even more grateful…
🎉 Jyotish and Devi giving their first Sunday service since their return from three months of traveling in Europe and India.
🎉 An incredibly beautiful Thanksgiving-themed altar.
🎉 And a fun and successful CD-signing after service.
This morning was a chance to rest and recover a bit from our busy LA weekend, while the afternoon was spent catching up on organizational details and lots of emails. Then we had choir and ensemble rehearsal in the evening.
Needless to say, finding the time to share more fully about our time in LA is something I’m still looking forward to!
Recovery: wishing I could have had another day of it.
Yesterday fit the recovery scenario: I slept late, took it easy, didn’t even leave the house all day.
Today was the exact opposite: the morning was spent on tasks at home; I ran seven(!) errands in the afternoon; then had soloist/instrumental rehearsal in the evening.
And the rest of the week just gets more intense with final preparations for Friday night’s Oratorio performance.
Our ensemble had a really fun rehearsal before Sunday service yesterday. You know everyone’s enjoying themselves when the rehearsal ends but instead of leaving the dais they stand around chatting.
I finally had to remind the singers that the Sunday service set-up crew was patiently waiting to prepare for the purification ceremony. As I did so, I found myself vaguely remembering some song lyrics about a marching band refusing to yield the field.
I realized the words were from the song, “American Pie” (“Cause the players tried to take the field, The marching band refused to yield”), but when I mentioned it to a few friends (explaining the correlation of the ensemble refusing to yield the dais to the service team) none of them remembered it.
So, of course, I had to go home and look up the lyrics, and in the course of doing so I tuned into the fact that it’s been over fifty years since “American Pie” became a hit.
I also learned that Don McLean sold the original manuscript of the song lyrics for $1.2 million back in 2015. Amazing!
Christmas Concert 2019 (in the Temple of Light at Ananda Village)
There’s a not-so-subtle shift that happens for me pretty much every year about this time.
Basically, no matter how early we start preparing for the Christmas concert, there’s nothing like the week before Thanksgiving to bring everything into a razor sharp focus.
So, yeah — this is the week when the countdown clock starts ticking and the pressure begins to build.
Luckily, we had a wonderful rehearsal tonight — both Village Choir and Ensemble — so I think we’re actually in good shape.
We had a particularly wonderful ensemble rehearsal last night. We were working on two songs that get sung a lot throughout the Ananda world — Life Is a Dream and Home Is a Green Hill.
There have been moments when I’ve heard someone say that they get “bored” singing these songs, but I can’t for the life of me understand how that could be. It’s not just that the songs are beautiful in and of themselves; it’s the profound meaning in the lyrics and the deep consciousness that they convey.
As we worked on details and dived into subtleties — with various singers offering insights and making suggestions — it seemed that each song gradually yielded up its secret treasures.
And then it happened — that exquisite moment musicians live for: when the music itself takes over and you feel like you’re slightly outside yourself, observing the music happen through you. At least, that’s how it felt to me. I can’t speak for the other singers.
When we reached the end of that particular run-through of the song, there was only silence and stillness. No one moved for a glorious, blissful, eternal moment in time.
And that — to me — is the absolutely best kind of rehearsal.
Below are the beautiful lyrics to Home Is a Green Hill, followed by a recording of Swami Kriyananda singing it.
Home is a green hill, home is a wind Blowing betrayal, far, far away. Home is the knowledge heaven is near, Home’s the end of the fray.
Home is my heart’s land, home’s where I am; Nothing can dim the light of my soul. Home is forever, home is today, Home’s a heart that is whole.
Often I dream that life is a play: Laughter forever and skies never gray. But when I’m silent, freed from all care, I discover my home’s everywhere.
Home is a green hill, home is a wind Blowing betrayal, far, far away. Home is the knowledge heaven is near, Home’s the end of the fray.
Left the house early for rehearsal. Participated in an amazingly beautiful Sunday service. Took a break for lunch. Then went to our first meeting and run-through for the Christmas play.
I was completely wiped out by the time I got home.
So, what did I end up doing? I went outside and sat in the late-afternoon October sun, enjoying the stillness while watching (and listening) to grasshoppers hop around and do their thing.
Sunset afterglow at Crystal Hermitage as we were packing up after rehearsal
Tonight was our final choir rehearsal for this Saturday’s event celebrating Nayaswami Jyotish’s 80th birthday.
Two of the musical offerings we’ve prepared for Jyotish felt rather daunting to pull together in the limited time we had available after the conclusion of Spiritual Renewal Week. But tonight it was clear that both projects were absolutely the right thing to do, and they’re coming together beautifully.
In fact, thinking over the entire rehearsal, I’m feeling a whole lot of gratitude for the harmonious, team-oriented, collaborative way that our music ministry and the entire choir works together.
Sure, there are chaotic moments, but the overall feeling is one of uplifted and uplifting FUN.
