“Welcome sweet Springtime, we greet thee in song. Murmurs of gladness, fall on the ear…” Michael Watson, composer, 1884/lyricist unknown
While driving to work yesterday, I was smitten with all the gorgeous Springtime colors that surrounded me: tulips, candy tuft, creeping phlox, dogwoods, azaleas….oh my, brilliant color everywhere! With no forethought, I suddenly blurted aloud, “Welcome, sweet Springtime.” Funny, how a word or phrase can reach into the deep recesses of your mind and resurrect a long forgotten memory. I had no sooner uttered the words than I was transported back in time to a PTA (Parent Teacher Association) meeting in my elementary school cafeteria. My second grade class provided the musical portion of the program, and one of the songs we sang was Welcome Sweet Springtime. For a girl raised in the country, the song seemed almost foreign and was what my grandmother called “high-brow” …. not exactly toe tapping or hand clapping! Yet I recall it with fondness since it was my first introduction to songs that were more classical in nature.
I am certainly not much of a singer but I do sing best in a group. Just like I sang “way back when” in my second grade group, I sing now as a soprano member of our church adult choir. I often thank our director for allowing me to make a “joyful noise” in the choir loft. My voice can easily go “flat”, and it doesn’t take much of a bump in the musical road to cause me to sing “off-key”. If not for three beautiful, perfectly-pitched sopranos who are seated behind me singing over my shoulders and into my ears, I fear I would have been ousted from the group years ago. When I am struggling to stay on key, their voices guide me and help me stay within an acceptable voice range. I am so thankful for these ladies, and just as their voices guide me in the choir, so the beautiful voice of God offers wisdom, peace, and guidance when things in my life go “flat” or “off-key”.
I do enjoy music—especially a good band! Likewise, I enjoy the music the Earth offers: sunsets, blue skies, fluffy clouds, blooming flowers, baby ducks, kittens, puppies, fireflies, the sound of crickets and frogs….and my favorite Earth music: waterfalls. The Earth’s music is always “on pitch” with perfect timing—never “off key”. Listen to what the Earth is singing to you.
(c) 2015 Leslie O. Kelley