To be caught up with other people in a moment of grace…..
like geese flying in formation,
like a tree full of birds that suddenly rise up
and wheel off toward the west,
like a school of fish–
the beauty of music,
the beauty of being with the others,
to be beautiful in just the same way that all of them are beautiful,
that’s the gorgeous thing about music.
Garrison Keillor
(this was printed on the back of the children’s program for their concert on Saturday)
Beautiful things are making me teary eyed, lately. I think the beginning adrenalin and happy excitement of the Christmas season has gone away, leaving me quiet and pensive and a little weepy—in a happy way. I’m noticing and trying to store away the memories.
I’ve been driving the children every Monday since fall, to their choir practice half an hour away. Back and forth, a week goes by so quickly and we’re piling in the vehicle once again, with toys and treats for the little boys, so they don’t get too rambunctious as we wait through 2 and a half hours of music lessons and practice.
It’s a sacrifice for yours truly, who is a homebody.
How proud and glad I was, though, on Saturday, to sit and watch and see the fruition of all that practicing.
Jacob, Ethan, and Grace, in their concert clothes and scarves, joined voices with other children, and lifted our spirits up and above the rush and stress of the past few weeks. Some of the songs were gentle and quiet, some were happy and upbeat. Some glorified Christ, some celebrated the unity of humanity, others reminded us all that childhood passes by too quickly, and to appreciate it and cherish it while it lasts.
I sat in my seat and tried to hold back my happy tears as Rich and I struggled, at the same time, to keep David, Caleb, and Seth quiet and sitting still.
Rich had to go to the back of the church with noisy Seth and I turned around once, to see him standing tall and handsome, with our baby in his arms. That is one memory I stored away.
Watching my children’s faces as they sang is another memory stored.
Having Rich join me after the performance was over, with a Sethie cheerio stuck to the front of his sweater is another. My husband as a father, making me love him all over again in newer and better ways.
The concert was held at a big beautiful church which had the most gorgeous stained glass windows.
After the concert was over, Rich took care of the children so I could wander around, taking pictures.
All the glass on the sides of the sanctuary pictured men and women throughout church history. It really blessed my spirit, to see Saints pictured whom I have learned about, read about, and thanked God for. I was happy to see them honored this way.
Martin Luther and John Calvin, side by side in this window. Brothers in Christ.
This is what an entire panel looked like. Wycliffe and Huss (who was martyred for his faith), are pictured here, along with Luther and Calvin.
Jonathan Edwards and Horace Bushnell (I don’t know much about Bushnell, except that he was a preacher in Hartford, CT)
And, in the very back of the sanctuary, up above in the balcony, was this stunning window, featuring Christ, his 12 disciples, and the last supper. The vibrant blue was a feast for my eyes…….
A kind man noticed me taking the pictures and approached me to ask if I would like to also see the Tiffany stained glass that the church had, in the library.
These are original pieces, by Tiffany. I touched one. I learned that stained glass isn’t always smooth pieces of glass, some of these sections are actually round and bumpy and curve out.
Truly, man was made in the image of God…..and one of the ways it shines through is in the arts.
“Being made in God’s image means we were made to create beauty…..”
“Enjoying artistic beauty is another way of healing all that is worn in our spirits.”
Dr. Steve Stephens
“So many look, but so few see.”
“Opening your eyes to what is lovely around you is a very practical way to reduce your weariness. Try to see with your spirit and let beauty touch your heart. Absorb it and let it soothe away your tension. Let it slow you down and soften the rough edges of your life. Beauty brings peace and pleasure.”
Dr. Steve Stephens
Good to be Home 
Beautiful photos!!! And moving post 🙂
I know what you mean about the weapiness:). I still do that now. (I figured it was originally a pregnancy hormone thing, but that isn’t the excuse now). Something about music and children’s voices that do it every time. They just grow up too fast and I want to freeze these moments into my memory. Love how you love your husband. The stained glass windows are gorgeous. I’m glad your husband gave you the time to capture them for us. God bless your day. (sorry about the kinda wandering thoughts here…)
Wow what a beautiful church! What a wonderful experience to sing in a choir like that!
It is amazing what an artist can do with glass and make things look realistic with all the details. Thank you for sharing the beauty with us. I also get weepy over “little” things and it certainly isn’t because of pregnancy. I’m past that stage in life. : ) I like your music. God Bless You today with His love as you share it with your children.
beautiful!! i think i would have cried if my children were up there as well 🙂 being pregnant def. doesnt help with that either haha!
I love seeing things through your eyes. 🙂
I saw your children! I saw your children! I picked them out standing in that sea of choir children!!!
What a BEAUTIFUL church!!! Do you know when it was built? I love old churches…I like to think about the history of churches. I love all the stained glass…I didn’t know much about Tiffany glass. I learned something new today.
What a wonderful experience. I would get all weepy too. Your sharing gave such a feel of the experience! I think I saw all three…the boys are pretty easy to pick out…but Grace, is she on the right in the back? Wonderful windows, so glad you got to wander around and see them. Beautiful! Mary is having surgery on her foot today, so please keep her in prayer!
What a beautiful church. I love the stained glass.
The stained glass is beautiful. Down the way from where we live is a antique village and one particular shop has tons of beautiful stained glass. I go and roam around in there and dream about where I would place each piece. One of these days I’d love to buy one. I imagine the history of the stained glass. Where it’s from, where in the house,church, building it was before it came to rest in our little town of Aurora.
STUNNING! This stained glass artistry is a feast for the eyes, as I’m sure the childrens’ choir was to your ears! Thank you for sharing this beauty! Love, GAil
stained glass is beautiful.~ I’ve a few stained glass ornaments that a friend of my husband made – they are so pretty w/ light behind them. ~ what fun for the children in a Christmas program!
Breath taking! I could imagine sunlight filtering with eyes glued. Oh and don’t we love the sound of the childrens voices. Of course we tear up. What’s wrong with us if we don’t! Such ancient wonders ought to make our Christmas season bright. Thank you darling for this wonderful post.
Breathtaking art and I am so glad you shared it! I would’ve loved to hear the childrens choir. It is such a neat thing for them to be a part of! Love, Lish
Beautiful stained glass windows! How wonderful your children had this opportunity to sing and you had the pleasure of hearing them — there’s nothing quite like a choir of children!! I, too, was able to pick them out. Our youngest son (not a child at 35) and his wife sang a duet in our church’s cantata last night and this mother’s heart was so full of joy!
perfect title to this post….
I would have loved to have been there and heard that concert!
Last picture of you is so so cool!Steve and I have seen Tiffany stain glass like this and it is amazing!
That quote captures what I have wanted so much to put into words in the past, to describe the feeling I experienced in being part of a choir or orchestra. I am so, so glad you shared that!I wish I could have heard that children’s choir! Lee and I have been listening to a cd of Christmas carols sung by the Salzburg Children’s Choir, and I have already looked into local children’s choirs for Lee’s future…Oh! I have to make reference to what you said about taking several hours (really, half a day if you count getting dressed to go, etc.) for music lessons every week. My mom did the same thing with us! All twelve of us took piano lessons and (except for me) one other instrument, and Mom had all the lessons scheduled for Wednesdays, the day we went to church. She only wanted to have to get us dressed and out of the house ONE time during the week, so we did everything – music lessons, grocery shopping, and church – in one day (my parents did NOT opt for sports – too much of a time commitment away from home). I remember taking my lessons from a music professor at the local community college while my siblings took trumpet and flute from another professor down the hall. The college staff apparently gave us one of the classrooms to use for waiting, and I spent many hours sitting in those desks. We also got to know other music professors who walked up and down the halls, and guess what? When we all grew up, we all went to that same community college, and all of us took some kind of choir or music class in that same building where we had our childhood music lessons! Many of the same professors were still there, and became our teachers (and I sat in the very same desks, in the very same room in which I used to wait)on a college level! I felt right at home, after all those years of hanging around in the building with my siblings, during music lesson days!
“These are original pieces, by Tiffany. I touched one. I learned that stained glass isn’t always smooth pieces of glass, some of these sections are actually round and bumpy and curve out.”YES…those were my thoughts when I saw my first Tiffany window in a little church in Pacific Grove, CA Before that moment I didn’t understand what the big deal was about his work because I had only seen photographs of it. His glass was all hand made in his own studios by his team of glass workers.
i just love old churches and lots of stained glass windows. good for you for taking the time to enjoy and really look at each one. what a blessing for you and for us!
Those are all so beautiful ! I especially love the ones of those who laid such a foundation and was martyrd for their faith. It should really make us think and not take for granted our freedom to worship.