March 3, 2008
March 1st arrived like the opening of a new book with the page covered with a richly illuminated text after closing February’s heavy grey tome with its cold dark words. The temperature was sixty five, a warmth not experienced since last October, and the sky suddenly held chains of geese going northward. Some were low and loud and other groupings were high and hurrying along. The first red-winged blackbirds were sitting on the tops of the willows on the east side of Sanctuary, near the road. It is where they always come when they return from their winter home. Each has a tree of its own, and from there, it sends its unique trill out over the valley as it places its claim on a potential nesting site. Meadowlarks were singing in the fields to the east and south, and the snow and ice melted rapidly, exposing new green grasses already eager to commence. John-paul flew in from Seattle for a brief stay with us, and so it was a day like no other with the joy of it all around.
This new month is filled with promise – political voices calling for “change”, spring concerts, a daughter’s birthday, Palm Sunday and Easter. Yesterday, I could sing! One of the sorry things of the last two years has been the loss of my singing voice – the only place where it all sounded fine was inside of my head; the actual vocal production was abysmal. Then yesterday, in the singing of the hymns, my voice was present and true and it was an incredible delight. The woman sitting in front of me complimented me and it took a measure of self-control to simply thank her instead of clasping her to my bosom and telling her the entire story of my life.
The last hymn was “What Wondrous Love is This” and its final verses were especially well-suited to my day.
“To God and to the Lamb I will sing, I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb I will sing:
To God and to the Lamb, who is the great I Am,
While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing.
While millions join the theme, I will sing.”
“And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on;
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing his love for me,
And through eternity I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And through eternity I’ll sing on.”