Moving on to the next one

So Gershwin ended with what I believe was a successful night. Good food, good friends, good music, good times! Although I could not read the crowd at all during the concert, they seemed to enjoy it with comments they gave afterwards. We all had a few slips of memory, but all in all, it was just plain fun. Nothing like Gershwin and his jazz music to let loose and just have fun with!

I was thoroughly disgusted with my hair. Way too poofy! But oh well. Sometimes you just have to take what you get for the day! My skirt, well, had forever creases from months of folding in a box before laying it out several days ago. The wrinkles just wouldn't iron out. But the good thing is, they looked like pleats! :) HA! I think it passed for the night.

The room was packed and it seemed to be a successful night. I enjoyed catching up with old friends and making new ones! The food was fabulous, and after a couple rounds of coffee I actually felt like I woke up for the evening! Course, there is something a bit disturbing about having to be sure that you don't have anything in your teeth prior to singing. And when you do, you have to sit in this formal setting figuring out a way to pick the articles from you teeth without being overly obvious.

After snapping a few pictures, I returned home to power down over a book and snack. I must say, following any performance, it takes me about and hour or two to actually bring myself down. Last night wasn't any different. Around 12:30 a.m. I finally was able to relieve my mind into sleep mode. Redwall contributed greatly to that endeavor.

This morning, I awoke to beautiful sunshine and a brisk walk. Now I turn my focus to the next event: a Sacred Concert on June 7. With Gershwin out of the way, but still running through my mind, I turn my thoughts towards practicing for the next one. Yet one just as special and important as the last. Ah! What joy to sing!

Gershwin!

You just can't beat Gershwin music! It is just flat out having a good time. And when you get the right people singing it, it just explodes with energy!

I have the privilege of singing with 3 other fabulous artists in a Gershwin Gala this Thursday night. I had met Magaly through other singing venues, and was looking forward to working with her again. John, well, I went to school with him. His voice has just continued to sound better and better. But then, I love listening to tenors! His personality goes a long way too! So easy going and fun. Brian was new to me. And when he walked in the door with Magaly, I thought my old friend from college, Greg, had returned to tease me. Their personalities, not to mention their looks were so similar. The main difference: Greg has dark hair, Brian does not! No worries.

What a group and what a fun night of rehearsing. I haven't had that much fun in a long time. We are singing some real classics for those of you who love to watch Doris Day, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, and Frank Sinatra. And the concert ends with I Got Rhythmn. Hilarious!

Add to this mix that we are all opera based singers, relaxing a bit and having fun both vocally and personally! What a riot!

Laughter, the best Medicine

Life can at times seem so heavy. I often find myself exploring ways to make it feel lighter. Of course, I have also learned that some things cannot be made. You must let them happen. I am learning that vocally! The voice should be aloud to sing, freely and naturally. Not made or manufactured.

But getting back to original thoughts. The other day I had a friend over. We often get together for lunch or something fun and prayer. Always prayer! I have found it much needed in my life. I expressed to her that my spirit felt so heavy of recent days. That I felt joy inside, but not happiness. As we talked, I realized that joy is a knowledge based emotion centered on an object, while happiness is a feeling based emotion often centered on circumstances. Honestly that brought some relief to my spirit knowing that feelings are normal as long as we are resting in that perfect Object!

As we ended our time together, funny comments were made and I laughed. Then today as we chatted online, I laughed at the direction of our conversations. As I talked with my sister, the lightness and banter of the sentences typed caused a smile and a chuckle. What lightness I felt.

How laughter often affects our lives! I wish I did it more. But then, I guess it wouldn't mean as much if there weren't a time in our lives that we specifically remembered each moment of laughter and put it in our file of memory to pull on a rainy day.