This picture has nothing to do with this particular post,
but thought it was so pretty I would share it!
many years ago.
I invited her to my church and
she and her family started attending there regularly.
The first Sunday she was there, I noticed how
very animated she was during the hymns.
She was thoroughly enjoying singing
and was doing so with noticeable joy.
After the service, I asked her if she
was a singer - since most of us
non-great-singers (especially us Scandinavians)
do so without much fanfare or displays of emotion.
Maxine laughed, and told me,
"I can't sing good at all, I am tone deaf."
I was skeptical and told her so.
She went on,
"When I was little, in elementary school,
the teacher told me to sing quietly,
since quiet singers were needed."
She said she didn't realize until many years
later that her teacher was just trying
to keep her voice from being heard.
I was still skeptical - I don't know if I
had ever heard anyone sing THAT bad.
"One day, you sit by me in church and you
listen," she told me, "and then you will know."
Since I was the organist, there wasn't much
opportunity to actually sit by her, but
finally, one day it happened.
I sat by her and heard her, well, sing (?).
I could not believe my ears.
It was not good.
It was actually quite bad.
No really, it was bad.
After the service she said to me,
"Well, do you still think I can sing?"
I had to admit to her that perhaps she really
was tone-deaf.
It crossed my mind that perhaps
she really should sing softly.
It crossed my mind that perhaps
she really should sing softly.
She was my good friend and we just laughed about it.
She was happy - she loved to sing (that word will be used loosely here)
and I wasn't going to deny her that.
She said that when she died and went to heaven
she was sure she would be a great singer
and that was enough for her.
I have lost touch with Maxine - I moved, she moved,
things changed. But every once in awhile
I think about her and wish I knew where
she was so we could re-connect.
I wonder if she is still singing (again, I use that word loosely)
with as much feeling and joy as I remember?
I hope so.
I hope so.
-
3 comments:
Oh, Laurie, that's FUNNY!!
My dad always told us that everyone should sing loudly.
People who couldn't sing well should sing out anyway to encourage people who could carry a tune to sing louder. People who could sing well should sing loudly so that people who couldn't sing as well didn't feel so nervous about singing something wrong.
Oh hey... my dad is Luther. Forgot I had my internet identity on. This is Julie.
:)
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