Moment by moment, day by day, song after song…the music ministry did our best to help create the best Spiritual Renewal Week ever.
Tomorrow we return to “normal” life, but tonight I’m taking it easy.
We did it
A fitting conclusion
There was a beautiful sunset as we headed home after tonight’s Indian banquet. A fitting conclusion, with the sun setting on what has been a glorious Spiritual Renewal Week.
Tomorrow is Sunday service and then the numerous guests head home and Village life returns to normal — though after so much inspiration I think it can’t help but be a higher level of normal!
Today’s thrilling moment
This is the song we performed before this morning’s (very inspiring) Spiritual Renewal Class. It’s one of my (many) favorite songs by Swamiji!
(Of course, our ensemble arrangement is a lot simpler than this version from Ramesha’s album — The Inner Temple!)
Today’s thrilling moment came when we invited the audience to join us on the final chorus.
What an amazing experience it is to be one of 300 or so people singing the words, “Dear God, my God, I am Thine for eternity! Dear God, my God, I am Thine eternally!”
And meaning every word.
Here are the complete lyrics:
I WILL ALWAYS THINK OF THEE
Every morning when I greet the sun,
When I move forth through crowded ways,
In my heart, Lord, ever so silently,
I will always think of Thee!
When I laugh, O, and when I cry with pain,
When my best friends misunderstand.
In my heart, Lord, ever so silently,
I will always think of Thee!
Chorus:
Dear God, my God, I am Thine for eternity!
Dear God, my God, I am Thine eternally!
Though my path lead me over desert sands
Though it take me through bitter storms,
In my heart, Lord, ever so silently,
I will always think of Thee!
When I’m working and when in earned repose,
Let come vict’ry or low defeat,
In my heart, Lord, ever so silently,
I will always think of Thee!
Chorus:
Dear God, my God, I am Thine for eternity!
Dear God, my God, I am Thine eternally!
The blessing of kirtan
My town errands took all afternoon and into the evening, so I arrived back at the Village just in time for the beginning of tonight’s Spiritual Renewal Week kirtan.
Ramesha organized it this year, so I really wanted to attend. However, I couldn’t stay for more than two chants (also because I had perishable groceries in the car).
But I’m really glad I made the effort. Largely because it was nice to simply sit in the audience and feel the joy and devotion without being in charge of any of it.
The kirtan is almost always Monday night, with the concert following on Tuesday. So, I’m usually up to my eyeballs in preparations and find it hard to make the time to go. But I’m going to try and change that next year.
Devotional kirtan and chanting to God truly is a wonderful thing.
Almost SRW time again
Yep, Spiritual Renewal Week (SRW) is almost here. Which means I’ve been knuckling down and wrestling with details galore.
But first I had to break though some serious resistance. Thank goodness it’s behind me and things are (finally) progressing.
Choir is back…and dancing!
For the first time in months…
…all our music team members were back from our various travels and present at tonight’s rehearsal.
…the full choir was back at it, with everybody ready to dive into preparations for Spiritual Renewal Week.
The ensemble has actually been meeting and holding down the fort throughout the weeks when Ramesha and I (and also Dambara) were off traveling, but it was great to be back with them again.
And to make things extra fun, Pavani led us in dancing the Horah, in order to get the right unified feel for Swami’s song, “A New Tomorrow.”
It was a great rehearsal. 😊
SRW highlight + Guru Purnima
Out of a week full of deeply inspiring and uplifted moments, I believe the ultimate highlight for me was singing “O Master” on Sunday service.
It felt appropriate to skip the usual solo singer and invite everyone (choir and congregation) to sing the melody right from the beginning of the song. Then, as the full arrangement unfolded, the power of the song simply grew and grew.
The words are so heart opening and meaningful, but what really put it over the top for me was singing it together with at least 300 devotees, and feeling the lived reality of the lyrics that speak of “the truth that we’re all one“ (emphasis is mine).
On Sunday I was so caught up with the completion of Spiritual Renewal Week that I didn’t tune into the fact that Guru Purnima — a time to express gratitude towards one’s spiritual teacher (or Guru) — was the very next day. It wasn’t planned that way, but what a perfect divinely inspired time to be singing “O Master”!
Here’s the video of the choir singing it during Sunday service. There are even a few moments when the camera captures a few of the hundreds of people singing along with us.
O Master lyrics
O Master, may Thy joy fill our days.
O Master, may Thy wisdom guide our ways.
The time has come for us to see
That there’s but one reality
Upon the earth and high above:
The truth that all was made from love.
A love that calls to us to fly
Above the hills, above the sky,
Above the storms, above the pain:
A land where peace and laughter reign.
O Master, may Thy joy fill our days.
O Master, may thy wisdom guide our ways.
Guide all our hopes and all our dreams
Past every glow that only seems,
Into the light, the inner sun,
Into the truth that we’re all one.
Help us to find in every hour,
In every thought in every flower,
A joy that spans eternity,
The truth that makes us ever free.
O Master, may Thy joy fill our days.
O Master, may Thy wisdom guide our ways.
Concert day chuckle
I’m not making this up!
Seriously, this was my Momentum Dash message for today, which just happens to be the day of our Spiritual Renewal Week concert.
Yes, there are (as always) a lot of last minute details to deal with, but it’s really not all that bad.
I think this just goes to show that God definitely does have a sense of humor.
Taking the plunge
Tomorrow morning is the Sevaka Order retreat, which is pretty much the warmup act to Spiritual Renewal Week.
Spiritual Renewal Week is pretty much the biggest week of the year at Ananda Village, with classes every morning; special events pretty much every afternoon and evening; and guests joining from all around the globe.
Music in a variety of forms is featured every day throughout the week. I think we’ve got all our music bases covered, but I’m so “detailed out” at the moment it’s hard to be sure.
Regardless — tomorrow we take the plunge and it all begins!
Swimming in details
We are fully back to our traditional (as in “pre-pandemic”) Spiritual Renewal Week, which means a Tuesday night concert with approximately 30 singers from Ananda Village and an additional 35 or so singers from Ananda communities around the world.
And only one rehearsal. Which not everyone will arrive in time to attend.
Then there’s chanting and a song before each weekday class. Plus a kirtan. And an Indian banquet with a musical entertainment component.
I was tempted to title today’s blog: “Drowning in details,” but that would be an exaggeration. I just have to keep going and I’m fine.
But if I were stop and try to tread water, it would be all over.