Share Some Joy

Sing Your Song

“I saw a woman singing while pregnant and imagined how the rhythms of the song affected the life forming within her; imagined the song drawing her unborn child’s soul closer to its time in the world, the way light works on a root strengthening underground.”

Mark Nepo (The Book of Awakening, p.291)

          One of the things I’ve always loved about church is the congregational singing of hymns. I’m a terrible singer; can’t carry a tune to save my life, but I love to sing. During the pandemic, when dog-Liza is my only companion, I find myself singing old songs from my childhood. One my grandfather sang when I was elementary aged that always brought a chuckle was, “Poor Papa.” It went something like this: “The crowd all cheers when Mama appears, she’s got diamonds stuck in her ears, but poor Papa, poor Papa, he ain’t got nothing at all.” My mother sang to us :“Down in the meadow in a little bitty pool swam three little fishes and a mama fishy too. Swim said the mama fishy, swim if you can, and they swam, and they swam right over the dam. A poop, poop, diddum waddum choo! Poop, poop diddum, waddum choo.” I remember singing silly songs to Missy, my little sister who could not sing at all because of cerebral palsy. She laughed so hard every time I sang to her, that both of us ended up in a heap of giggles. Singing makes us happy, don’t you think? Or maybe it’s simply that we sing when we’re happy.

          Whatever the reason, I believe music lifts us up and gives us strength. Maybe, as Mark Nepo said, because it draws us closer to our souls. There are a few genres of music that I’m not crazy about—cacophony for one—but for the most part, I love it all. World music is currently my favorite. I love the rhythms of the middle east and Africa especially, the way Arabic singers warble their voices, the sheer exuberance of Bollywood. One of the most special things that has happened since the pandemic sheltered us is the way people have brought their beautiful voices to one another by way of the internet. So many musicians and singers sending comfort across courtyards, and off balconies, and in city streets. Little touches of joy offered to lift one another’s spirits.

          This is something to remember when we lose sight of happy times. What we are living through is rough stuff. We must hold the world close in our hearts and in our deepest prayers, but we don’t have to suffer while we’re doing it. Try singing your prayers—give them a little rhythm and swing. Instead of kneeling to pray, try dancing to your own beat. I promise, God won’t mind. In fact, God might just bop along with you. Draw close to your sweet soul today. Sing a silly song.

                                                  In the Spirit,

                                                  Jane