On Sunday morning our choir sang our Christmas program.   At 7:30 am, we were “warming up” in the church basement.  We had one service at 8:00 am, and another at 10:30.  When I looked down from the balcony, I spotted my husband in the congregation, and wondered who the woman was sitting by him.  OH!  It was our daughter and her youngest son.  I was so honored that she came.  Her husband was singing in a cantata at their church, so she had gone to early service there, then come to ours for late.  Our group is more traditional, theirs more modern, in choice of music.

Then on Sunday evening, our grandsons performed in the children’s program at their church.  This traditional program includes acting out the account of the birth of Jesus.  One of the songs was one we don’t hear so much any more: The Friendly Beasts.  The costumes were mostly hoods with the ears or horns of the various animals.  Each animal has a verse telling what gift he gave to the Christ child.  “I, said the donkey, carried his mother.”  It is a tender song, reminding us that whatever we have, how ever small, we may give as a gift.

All this music is now swirling around in my head, and I sing out fragments as I go about my day.  “Let no earthly tongue keep silent, let creation praise the Lord.   Alleluia, allelu, alleluia!”

My high school choir director gave me my life motto, worth remembering as we hear of continual tragedy around the world:

“No matter what happens, KEEP ON SINGING!”