my windows

we have started singing in our church choir.

for me, singing and music are like home. i grew up with parents who were (and still are) involved in music ministry at every church we ever attended. i have memories of waking up to Christian music and hearing my parents singing and playing the piano. it's always been a part of my life, and is something i have grown to love and enjoy. frequently, God speaks to me through song lyrics and even simply through the beauty of melody and harmony. i love hearing voices sing and instruments play. i sing throughout the day, in my car and around the house. i sang to brooks during my pregnancy, and he seems to love singing and dancing.

jeremy and i have never been in choir together as a couple, so this has been a fun experience for us. i am enjoying watching him learn, hearing him sing, and talking together about the songs we sing. it's been a few years since i myself have been in choir, so feeling at home again through music is a welcome thing. our church isn't the most contemporary church i've been to, and it isn't quite as traditional as what i grew up in; i think it's a good mix of the two, with sincere people who enjoy praising the Lord.  i like the music we do, i'm enjoying learning new songs, and being in choir enhances my experience of worship.

but my favorite part are the windows.

at the front of our church, way up high, is a set of huge expansive windows. before joining the choir, i hadn't noticed the windows. when i'm in the congregation, the windows are behind and above me, but when i'm in the choir loft, they are directly in front of me. because we joined the choir in the winter, most sundays the weather has been cold, dreary, cloudy, and gray. many sundays, it's been raining or snowing. for me, it couldn't be more perfect. i've always loved the rain. cloudy days make me smile; i feel cozy, introspective, thoughtful. so when i sing of my Creator while looking at His beautiful, cloudy days out those huge windows, i can't help but smile. it reminds me of an old hymn that my dad used to sing during storms..."in the lightning flash across the sky, His mighty power i see. and i know if He can reign on high, His light can shine on me. i've seen it in the lightning, heard it in the thunder, and felt it in the rain. my Lord is near me all the time. my Lord is near me all the time."

music, singing, clouds, and rain. it's all home for my heart.