Minding the Light

Our Collective Journal
February/March 2014

My life flows on in endless song;

Above earth’s lamentation

I hear the sweet though far off hymn

That hails a new creation:

Through all the tumult and the strife

I hear the music ringing;

It finds an echo in my soul—

How can I keep from singing?

From the hymn, “How Can I Keep From Singing?”

The words were first published on August 7, 1868,

in The New York Observer. Titled “Always Rejoicing”,

and attributed to “Pauline T”

Follow this YouTube link to hear Pete Seeger sing this hymn:

Chapter 17
When have you encountered
the Light through Music?

[Piece on left, Cantus (“Song” in Latin); piece on right, Laus Deo
(“praise be to God‘ in Latin). Stained glass, Anne Witherspoon.]

In the spring of 2013, after returning to work from maternity leave, I began advocating for a student with a disability who shall remain unnamed. Our new-to-the-field psychologist insisted that the student didn’t qualify for specialized instruction because test scores were too high. Yet the teacher continually expressed concern that the student’s needs were not being addressed. This was the kind of situation that involved multiple team meetings and conversations in which, at many... [more]

On Earth as it is in Heaven

Posted on June 06, 2014

One of the most meaningful ways that I have encountered the Light through music was during my sophomore year at George Fox University, when I took a History of Latin America course. The class was one of my favorites, and it included watching a 1986 film called The Mission, which depicted a Jesuit mission in South America. The movie touched my heart, and my less than favorable opinion of missionaries at the time, became more complex. ... [more]

He’s Chasin Me

Posted on June 06, 2014

Sundays we’d climb the hill threading our way on the worn path, fern banked, sprinkled with pine needles, damp breezes lifting off the lake, sun slipping through pines and cedars. A line of girls in blue chambray shirts with sailor collars edged in white, we’d take our orderly seats on split-log benches strewn with hymnals. Circled around the fire pit, we’d wait for Althea to say, “Open to Hymn 66.” Every Sunday we would start... [more]

Jukebox Driver

Posted on June 06, 2014

I long to close my eyes, but I can’t because I am driving. I have traveled this long road between school and home a thousand times, but today is different. Today I chauffeur my parents on a journey none of us are eager to take. Since finding out my dad has weeks, perhaps days to live, they sit in back and hold hands like teenagers. A golf-ball sized tumor grows in my father’s brain... [more]

Celestial Harmony

Posted on June 06, 2014

Today is Sunday, January 26th. Before today, I didn’t expect to write anything for this chapter of Minding the Light. I’d drawn a blank for this topic. I’m not a musician, and while I like music very much, I’m not knowledgeable about past composers or present-day musicians or styles. I just enjoy it without knowing the style or the artist or group. My experiences haven’t been much to relate, other than enjoyment—until today, in meeting,... [more]

Minding the Light

Posted on June 06, 2014

K.D., Ben, Leslie and I were out at the VA’s long-term care facility in Vancouver one evening playing music for the guys. It was a thing I sort of felt led to do, and they thought it was a good idea and could make it so we went together. We played “Country Roads,” and “Ghostriders in the Sky,” and a bunch of fun tunes. We all sang, and traded lead vocals; Leslie had her violin. ... [more]

Citadel of Otherworldly Light

Posted on June 06, 2014

One day I was sitting at the piano, just dinking around on the keys and I came up with a bit of music that I thought was pretty cool; I wonder what I’ll call it—I know! I’ll call it Citadel of Otherworldly Light. But then I got caught up in the everyday routine, and I forgot how it goes. Years later, sitting at the piano, I came up with a bit of music that... [more]

Comfort in the Night

Posted on June 06, 2014

For the first time all day I was alone. Not really alone, nurses bustled about down the hall and the whole hospital building buzzed with the hushed vibrating energy that was still new and uneasy to me. My sister had just left and I knew her leaving came with both relief and worry for her. This hospital was hard for her, but she had been my rock for hours. For the last time in... [more]

The Light Illuminates Pride

Posted on June 06, 2014

Early in my music teaching career, I recall working with a student, perhaps 10 or 11 years old. I’ll call her Mary. Mary was pleasant, easy to work with, and put practice effort in; however I never felt a strong teacher-pupil connection or that she embraced being a musician. After a few years of lessons, Mary took the summer off. At the first class back, she told me she had been learning a new... [more]

Antigua Experience

Posted on June 06, 2014

A few years back I had the honor of being part of Progressa, a Guatemalan Friends teaching group. Our mission was to provide one-on-one English tutorials to university age young people who spoke little or no English. Most of the students were from educationally underserved villages whose first language was a local dialect, with Spanish being a second, or even third, tongue. Based in the magical old capital city of Antigua, Guatemala, we had endless... [more]

Journeys

Posted on June 06, 2014

Come walk with me, the journey is long…. the journey, the journey, the journey is long And in isiZulu: Hamba nathi kalulu latu (repeat) Kalulu, kalulu, kalulu latu (repeat) A powerful gift of music came to me on the Scottish island of Iona, halfway between Ireland and Scotland. It is known for the abbey that St. Columba founded. St. Columba retreated to Iona after a bloody war over scripture. He felt responsible for having been part... [more]

Good Friday

Posted on June 06, 2014

Measured by the scope of itself, Good Friday ends in silence and death. I’ve given up trying to lead worship on Good Friday. It’s too painful for me. A few years ago, a small group of us gathered for worship on Good Friday. I was only there to worship. That is, nothing was expected from me. I could wander into the brokenness and grief of Good Friday without feeling responsible for anyone else’s experience. ... [more]

Song of Peace, Place of Peace

Posted on June 06, 2014

In the spring of 2010 my husband and I took a trip to occupied Palestine. On a Sunday morning we worshipped at Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem. Also visiting there was a group from Germany who sang “Dona Nobis Pacem” as a gift to those attending. That afternoon the choir went their way and we went ours, spending time in Ramallah with the Ramallah Friends Meeting and Quakers from many places in the world... [more]

Communion

Posted on June 06, 2014

One night I was at an evening worship service with my mother. The interior of the church was softly lit. It seemed to be glowing, perhaps from candlelight. The congregation was singing a hymn when, suddenly, I began to cry. At first slowly, but within seconds I was sobbing, and then I was crying uncontrollably. My mother handed me the keys and told me to go sit in the car. I had the sense that... [more]

Is There a God?

Posted on June 06, 2014

For years I had been questing, endlessly searching—is there a God? I tried reading books on the different ways to call God (Creator, Higher Power, Divine, Universal Energy). I attended Native American ceremonies. I walked in nature where I found incredible peace. I read Peace Pilgrim’s “Steps Toward Inner Peace”. I attended Jewish ceremonies and Christian churches. I even tried praying. I believed I saw God’s light in my baby son, but I wasn’t sure. It... [more]

Our Collective Journal February/March 2014

My life flows on in endless song;

Above earth’s lamentation

I hear the sweet though far off hymn

That hails a new creation:

Through all the tumult and the strife

I hear the music ringing;

It finds an echo in my soul—

How can I keep from singing?

From the hymn, “How Can I Keep From Singing?”

The words were first published on August 7, 1868,

in The New York Observer. Titled “Always Rejoicing”,

and attributed to “Pauline T”

Follow this YouTube link to hear Pete Seeger sing this hymn:

Chapter 17 When have you encountered the Light through Music?

Stories in this Chapter

Our Collective Journal
February/March 2014

Chapter 17
When have you encountered
the Light through Music?