Monday, November 21, 2011: Many things to be thankful for this Monday afternoon. I had some wonderful experiences over the past few days. I want to share a few, and may have to go to Part II at some point. We'll see...
I've been singing this past week with the Symphony Chorus. Beautiful music by Hector Berlioz, "The Childhood of Christ". We sang in French. I write everything out phonetically under the words, so my French is not very precise. We performed Friday night and Saturday night, and it was thrilling. I loved watching our conductor, Maestro Thierry Fischer. He was animated and emotional. He adores the music, and it showed on his face and in his wide, sweeping gestures, as he encouraged us and the orchestra to sing and play our best with our whole hearts. There were magical moments both nights. In the first act, the women of the chorus did not appear on stage; instead, we sang from the stairwell offstage, as we were "angels" singing to Mary and Joseph after the birth of their Holy Baby. I had to mouth several parts, as they were way too high for my (ever-deeper) Alto range. Oh, but for a moment, we were the angels and it was glorious. In the second act, we came on stage and joined the men for some wonderful choruses. There was also a truly beautiful number called "Trio for Two Flutes and a Harp", in which Maestro sat down and let them play completely on their own. It was the music of heaven. Listen to it sometime and you'll see. The chorus follows soon after with "O Mon Ame" (O, My Soul), a haunting, soft, a capella number that brought me to tears at the final "Amen"... both nights! I know the audience, too, was spellbound - no one moved, even after Maestro lowered his arms at the end. Silence filled the hall, and so did the Spirit. So lovely. I am so grateful to be a part of this wonderful organization and to hear and participate in such moving music. It is one of my most overwhelming blessings...
Also, on Friday, I had the sweetest experience at the temple. I decided to go, spur of the moment, Friday morning, so I dropped Ness off at school and drove up the hill in the cold November morning mist. I parked and walked up to the temple doors. As I approached this beautiful building, I realized that in leaving my purse in the car, I had also left mints/gum/breath spray and all other remedies I have come to carry with me everywhere to combat my dry mouth (results of salivary gland removals AND radiation treatments) and bad breath (which embarrasses me to no end). I hesitated to enter the temple, thinking I should go back and get my purse. But, in the end, I decided I would ask one of the sweet workers if they could spare me a mint or two to get me through the next couple of hours. The temple was not very busy--it was only 8:15 AM! The dressing room was quiet and uncrowded. I walked the hallway to the waiting worker and she directed me to a dressing room at the far end of the aisle. All four lockers were free, so I decided to open the second from the left. To my absolute astonishment, there on the top shelf of the locker was a package of Trident Peppermint gum with only one stick taken from it! At first, I laughed and looked heavenward and somewhat irreverently gave Heavenly Father a "thumbs up"! But, then, I started to cry, shaking my head in amazement that He blesses me so COMPLETELY. There was no way to return the gum to its rightful owner--it was there to bless me at the exact moment I needed it. I know there are no coincidences. He led me to the exact place where a blessing awaited me. It is a marvel to me that He knows me, He knows my needs, and He is there for me, even with something so simple as a stick of gum to keep my mouth moist and my breath minty-fresh. Amazing! I am so grateful. When I left the temple that day, I left the package of gum behind. Maybe it blessed someone else, too.
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