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Originally uploaded by Tonja Owens.

GOD
who excells at things great and mighty
is also Master
of the intricate and tiny.

Is there anything better than getting a new CD of a favorite artist and having time to just sit and listen and absorb? Ah! Music. From the simplest melody to the most magnificent symphony…there is something that appeals to every one. Is there a song that takes you away every time you hear it? Music is a springboard to all sorts of memories. My younger sister and I used to spend summers with relatives in NC and some of that was with a cousin about our age. As young girls do…we acted out all sorts of life experiences. One of our favorites was our future weddings. Just so happened that a popular song at that time was “Chapel of Love” . Remember,’going to the chapel and we’re going to get married, going to the chapel of love…there she comes in her wedding gown looking like a queen…he has been her only love since she was 16…’ We took turns,Joy, Debbie and I, being the bride. We dressed in the finest lace tablecloths,and old tattered petticoats. Do you remember the ones that had a tube to blow up around the hem to make them stand out even more? Our bouquets were of the most exotic of wild grasses and the occasional addition of a dandelion in perfect bloom. No brides have ever looked so beautiful or have been so envied. It was just not as grand to be the groom or the flower girl. The bride was the coveted part. Since I was the oldest…I got to decide whose turn was next. I saw nothing wrong with the eldest having a turn between each of the others, do you? They had much to learn and I was trying my best to educate them. Oh the memories.

I have entered into this trip down memory lane because I just bought a CD from my favorite female artist, Carly Simon. I know she’s old school, but the emotion in her voice and the life in her songs find a haven in my soul. I read in a magazine that she had a new CD out and I rushed to get it. Felt pretty old when the pierced and tatooed girl at the record store said, “Who? I never heard of her.” She looked it up on her computer and sure enough, they had just come in. With my copy in my hand, I felt it my duty to share with her the virtues of being able to actually understand all the words in a song. I’m not sure she got it. And I was too anxious to hear what Carly had been up to to continue my teaching. Out to the car…not even stopping to peruse the goods in Parisian. I’m mad at them anyway for selling out to Belk’s. BELK”S? O sadness! But that is a post for another day. After speaking quite unkindly to those*****who think it is necessary to wrap CD’s in such wrappings as to cause the finest Christian lady to have unkind thoughts, and struggling to get the outside paper off…only to discover the next strip of supertape along the top…I finally get to the prize. Into the player and out comes that familiar voice that touches my soul. This album is titled INTO WHITE, and it is almost an adult lullaby. Beautiful songs, mellow and touching, quiet and peaceful….music to listen to and let your mind find its way to the place she’s singing from. She’s even accompanied on one song by Ben and Sally Taylor, her children with James Taylor. Good genes on both sides, huh? She sings some old favorites and some new ones. I have all her albums. My favorite is HAVE YOU SEEN ME LATELY? But any of them could fill some part of me. She sings of life experiences we all have and as we have aged and as she has aged her music reflects the new trials we face.

Music..aren’t you glad God though of music as a way to touch our very souls?

Southern Chill

This is NOT the kind of weather that makes me a happy camper. In fact, It makes me not want to ‘camp’ at all. I think the only thing to do in weather like this, is to stay in bed, read magazines, and drink hot chocolate. However, the world obviously does not agree, and continues turning. It has been in the 40’s the past few days and it’s just not pretty. Now I know some of you may laugh at this nonsense, but for someone who was born and raised in the deep south…it’s a tragedy. All the clothes you have to wear…the sweaters, and the coats, then the gloves and the hats, and ear muffs…Yuck. If I am shopping and go inside a store, I can’t even shop properly because I feel so stuffed. The best way to handle this is to leave the heavy clothes in the car, and RUN into the mall. Then do all your shopping there. Now, I am one who thoroughly enjoys a good shopping adventure…but the getting in and out of the car in this weather does put a damper on things. Kind of takes some of the FUN out of it. I do not mind a little cool weather…cool enough for a sweater…but much beyond that is just not fun. My son, husband and I visited Ann Arbor, Michigan last year. It snowed before we got there and while we were there…but, the sun was shining. Now we truly enjoyed that experience…even though we had to buy more clothes[ what a shame ]. But that can last me for a lifetime. It has only snowed here maybe 3 or 4 times in my lifetime. Only once did it stick. Schools closed and the kids had a blast. In fact, there was enough for my 3 boys to build a snowman….of course that left the rest of the yard bare. A sweet memory, none the less. I know I should quit complaining and look for blessings in this deep freeze…or at least pray for an early spring!

Today was a work day for me. I am so blessed to have the perfect job. My chosen profession was nursing, but at the time I was in nursing school, I also took private music lessons at Samford University. Add that to my 12 years of piano and I have quite a few hours racked up in music education. After several years in the nursing field, I quit to raise my children. I had all intentions of returning, but, dear friends, our intentions are made of dust. God’s plans are written in stone. More later on what filled my days and years until I began working at First Presbyterian Preschool 17 years ago. Wow! Has it really been that long? I have the best boss and fellow teachers possible. It is a joy and a gift from God to work in a Christian setting. The ladies I work with are like family. We laugh together, cry together, and pray together. We really do ‘bear one another’s burdens.’ And the children…what can I say? A child is such a precious thing. Pure innocence and love…along with a healthy dose of curiosity and stubborness. What a joy it is to be around those so fresh from God. I teach music…so I have an advantage of being able to work with all the students in the school. And mostly we have fun. Singing and dancing and pretending…such fun! Of course we do 2 programs a year, so we have to do some hard work…learning parts, and standing still, and not waving on stage. When these little ones , who are so full of love run up and hug me, I feel as if God himself is saying,”You’re doing o.k.” I have learned much from the children. Life lessons, really. You’ve heard the saying: “Sing like no one is listening and dance like noone is watching.” Well, one of the first things I learned on this journey is the kids do not care how well I sing, they only care that I do sing. As far as the dancing goes, well, I find that if I let go of my inhibitions…they usually let go of theirs. And you know what…I usually have as much fun as they do. Why is it that as we age we become so careful to stick to the narrow path? Maybe we all need to find that childlike freedom to just be. Sing as loud as we want and dance how we feel. “God is happy when we sing praises to him.”Psalms 149:3,4. And I want God to be pleased with the things I do.