Richard took me to a Christmas choral concert and this piece was my favorite. The choir we heard was probably 5 times bigger than this one, so the effect was different, but I want to share with you this beautiful arrangement.
Category: Music
Just me living in the wrong century
Spotify is telling me a story I didn’t predict about myself. If you use this music app, perhaps your “Wrapped” reveals some surprises about your listening habits during the past year, too. Apparently, I went through what Spotify calls my “Coastal Grandmother Ukulele Oldies” phase in May. 😂
In the temple laundry room
A few months ago we took a shift to clean the temple from 10 pm to midnight. People are doing this all of the time, and it was not a big sacrifice. I helped clean the baptistry, and part of my job was to dust the walls of the laundry room, which were not dusty, unlike the walls of my own home.
I was regretting that I wasn’t having a spiritual experience in this temple laundry room when this song came to my mind. The Spirit reminded me that caring for this room was a way to show my gratitude to my Heavenly Father for this temple and for His goodness to me all my life. So, I finished my shift, singing this song in my mind. The Spirit showed up for me in the laundry room that night to expand my vision.
I should ask the question more often, what can I do this day to show my gratitude to God?
Two songs I love from the Rings of Power series
Just a list today
Enjoyed: an evening at Young Women’s camp with the bishopric.
Finished: 18 pages of visa application forms and instructions with Mark.
Played: a piano and violin duet on Sunday with Mark at church.
Wrote: a song for Primary Day Camp for guitar, voices, and percussion.
Struggling with: sleep while Richard has been away at Young Men’s camp.
Looking forward to: Mark’s senior piano recital.
Preparing: pepperoni rolls for dinner.
Loving: strawberry season.
Reading: The Count of Monte Cristo.
Collecting: so many screenshots of our grandson during video calls. 😍
Procrastinating: weeding the back flower bed.
A current favorite Book of Mormon phrase: “Publish peace.”
And how blessed are they! For they did publish peace; they did publish good tidings of good; and they did declare unto the people that the Lord reigneth.
Mosiah 27:37
Luke 6:38
I will be playing my violin with a Primary choir for Mother’s Day this year. On Sunday I practiced with them for the first time. I had spent some time transposing the music for my instrument, so it was good to hear that my work was okay. My accompaniment is not difficult to play and the notes are understated and mild, but I had taken some time to get it just right.
When I stood at the front of the room full of children and saw their faces as they sang with my violin and the piano, the abundance in this reward was overwhelming. No money or praise can match the wide-eyed wonder, the heartfelt effort in their voices, and the generosity in their facial expressions. I want to remember these faces forever. I also want my giving to be more like theirs.
Primary children teach me every single week what it means to be a disciple of Christ.
Recital clip
Tonight Mark’s piano studio joined a violin studio for a recital of duets. Here is a clip of Mark’s performance with Caroline. 👏👏
Practice time accessory 😎
Two Recommendations
This is a hospice nurse’s account of twelve of her patients’ end of life experiences that changed her. This is a really meaningful and special book.
This film recounts the making of the We Are the World music video for Ethiopian famine relief in 1984. We enjoyed this!
Things that helped
After reading through my 2023 blog posts, I’ve decided that I want to end the year by listing one daily, one weekly, and one monthly thing that helped me get through a year which was actually very challenging.
A daily practice that helped:
- I took the counsel of President Nelson and I kept a journal of impressions that I had while I prayed, and I acted upon those impressions. This created a leap in progress in my understanding of how revelation works and how interested God is in my life.
A weekly practice that helped:
- Friday dates with Richard
A monthly practice that helped:
- I tried to do a variety of work in the temple. Richard and I were able to complete temple ordinances for several ancestors with the help of our children, my brother, and my parents.
I have also looked over my reading list from 2023 to see where I have been. I have a special shout-out for Charles Dickins’ David Copperfield and Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.
As I prepare for 2024, I don’t have any major resolutions. I do have plans to keep my good habits, while giving myself the grace to just do one thing at a time, including new things.
Wishing you a gentle look back at your 2023, and a hopeful look forward to your New Year.
Love,
A.