Singing When It Hurts

Tonight the Vocal Arts Ensemble joined the Central California Children's Choir at a sing-a-long at the Performing Arts Center on the campus of Cal Poly. We do this every year.

We sing a couple of songs from our Christmas Concert, then the Children's Choir sings a couple of songs followed by the Advanced Singers of the Children's Choir and then us again.

Between choirs the directors lead the crowd in singing Christmas Carols. That is the VAE behind them in the picture.

Gary and Melody leading the audience in carols.

The crowd is full of children. From babes in arms to teenagers. There are a lot of older people as well. Many with walkers or canes. Some in wheelchairs.

Everyone is dressed for Christmas and the audience glitters.

At the end of the show, the children's choir joins the VAE on stage and we sang a song called "Hope for Resolution"

The song is a composite of  an old hymn called "Of the Father's Love Begotten" in English and a Zulu freedom song in Swahili . It was written to commemorate the meeting of President Frederik Willem de Klerk and Nelson Mandela. It was at that meeting that, as Dawn Spears said in her introduction, "the world shifted" because it was the end of apartheid and the beginning of acceptance of each other. 

I am standing next to maybe a 10 year old girl who is singing her heart out. I am singing and crying and trying to not to reach out and take her in my arms in a giant bear hug.

It would have scared her to death. 

She would not have understood how precious she is and why some stranger would want to hold her, to make her feel safe.

I wanted to feel safe. 

This week has not been good for us as people. 

We can make it better.

Sing. Laugh. Love.

Be good to one another.