Make a Joyful Noise
Last evening I attended a musical event in Mt Pleasant, Pennsylvania. It was titled “Music in Our Schools Month Concert. The Junior High Choir, the Senior High Viking Choir, and the school’s Symphonic Band put on a wonderful program filled with singing and instrumental music. The Junior High Choir sang three selections, the Senior Viking Choir sang three compositions, the Symphonic Band performed three pieces, and finally the choirs and band presented a combined composition as a finale. It was a wonderful evening.
My granddaughter Hannah Yoder was one of the participants in the Junior High Choir. I was able to spend some quality time with her parents and another daughter listening to a variety of music. The chosen pieces covered a wide selection of tempo and compositions. The stage and raised dais was filled with eager young faces which were made more prominent by the members’ ebony clothing. The band director’s selections ran the gambit from a lullaby to a semi-macabre tune where the precussion and winds balanced each other in a give and take of talent. The difficult pieces chosen were played with practiced skill and finesse. The choir members sang just as beautifully, presenting a similar depth of pieces from soft and tender music to several tunes having more lively and upbeat tempos.
All in all it was a wonderful evening. After the performance, I thanked the band director and the choir director for helping me celebrate my upcoming birthday. That earned me a handshake, a smile, and a happy birthday wish.
I will be three quarter of a century old if I should I make it to the weekend. I will say that a “much younger me” never thought that I would see that I would ever reach that age. I marvel at God’s grace and mercy that He has allowed me to live this long. I look around at those friends and family who were much younger than me and have not been so blessed. God in His wisdom has decided to take them home.