A Manifesto Of Hope

I am hoping for a change in the world: Where its inhabitants care more about others than themselves. 

Where leaders can actually lead their people in change for good. 

      Not change for dominance.

      Not change for profit.

      Not change to fit a small box of compliant yes people.

I am hoping for a change in the world: Where sustainability becomes a mantra.

Where rainforests grow, not diminish. 

Where more people are fed and clothed and housed. 

Where we care for everyone, regardless of their race or beliefs or hopes or desires or loves or abilities or disabilities. 

I will make one change each day to work to this end.  I am hoping to change the world.

The Invisible Choir

A few years ago, I was singing for a wedding at Divine Word. My friend Tim was playing violin. After mass, my dear friend (and faithful alto) Carol Ann came up from the church’s lower level.
“Who was the gentleman singing with you?” she asked.
“It was just me and the violin,” I answered.
“No!” she insisted, “I heard a man’s voice singing harmony with you - it was beautiful!”  
I stared at her for a moment, then asked, “My guardian angel?”

Before that, once in a while, I thought I was hearing strings or a horn. I’m a composer and arranger, so I often hear music in my head. When I hear those extra parts playing along I think, “How lovely!” We have guitars, woodwinds, keyboards, piano, but strings and horns are generally saved for Christmas and Easter. Then we started to hear an extra voice or two during mass. One of our altos had passed into the next world, and we’d smile when we heard her -  sure it was Barb who occasionally joined us as we sang.

At one funeral, Fr. Jim Caddy stopped me after mass.
“I can look over and count the number of people you have singing with you. Six people. Today, you had six singers. Why does it sound like you have an entire chorus of people?”
I looked at him, smiled, and said, “I’m sure it’s our guardian angels singing with us, so, twelve singers today?”

Last week, we had a funeral at Divine Word. We had Mike and Rose on guitars, but there were just three of us singing: Jerry, Eileen and me. Down in our lower level, we had chefs preparing lunches for distribution at a downtown center. After the service, Claire (one of our chefs) stopped me, “You sounded like ten people today, who was singing?” Carol Ann (preparing food downstairs) said it sounded like a huge choir - more than ten people - singing. Jane even ran to the stairwell and came upstairs to count because she didn’t believe Carol Ann who told her there were only three of us.

During the last few years, we’ve lost more good friends - Carl, Phyllis and Toni - to the next world. I have a confession to make: at each of their caskets, I look to the right of their casket, where their spirit is standing, and tell them, “Come and sing with me if you have time.” I didn’t realize we would be able to hear them! I am so very lucky to have devoted music ministers AND and my dear Invisible Choir.

 So here we are one year in, Jim and I have both gotten vaccinated, and our week continues:

Monday     10 am funeral, Zoom meeting with the Village

Tuesday     Sun Basket arrives

Wednesday     Noon FB video chat with the Cousins in Wales, Zoom lecture on liturgies, set out garbage, every other Wednesday is a Schwan's delivery

Thursday    Zoom meeting

Friday        Wine delivery arrives 

Jim still runs 5 miles a day, and when the weather is nice, we walk our beloved golden. I've finished one quilt, four pillowcases, a knitted mini dress, a few cross stitch samplers. 

Life is good.

 Thoughts on Sheltering In
A Pandemic Story, The Early Days*

When I prepared for a long stay at home, I did not anticipate the amount of ketchup my husband Jim would consume. (Going through my mind right now: Carly Simon’s song “Anticipation” while your ketchup is sloowly creeping out of the bottle.) Canned goods, fine, ground coffee, fine, flour, sugar, fine, WHERE IS THE EXTRA BOTTLE OF KETCHUP IN THE PANTRY?

Oh, well, we had to run out of something, right?

Jim wasn’t so much concerned about paper products as he asks, “We’re not going to run out of wine, are we?” I assured him our wine club memberships would not allow that.

Things I have learned in the first two weeks we are sequestered at home:
The pancake recipe only uses one egg. Great for breakfast or lunch. Blueberries for breakfast, diced chicken and apple is the filling for lunch. (I only had 2 dozen eggs, I’m trying to ration them.)

Frozen fruit lasts a lot longer than fresh fruit.

Wisconsin Cheeseman delivers a lot faster than Omaha Steaks, but they charge for delivery, and Omaha Steaks will be free. My husband never says “Omaha Steaks,” he says “Obama Steaks” and now he’s got me saying that.

I found a great recipe for Starbucks Sous Vites Egg Bites and you can make 5 or 6 with just 3 eggs.

You can sing for a nursing home via Skype.

I thought we’d never have fresh food again. Then the Sun Basket box arrived with fresh everything. I nearly cried. They delivered every week without fail, right to the front door. The menus were fun, the recipes delicious and easy to prepare. 

We are fairly prepared. Life is good.

* I realize this should have been published in March. Really interesting to look back and feel the panic rising.

The Blue Diva

In the twenty-third century, the universe is threatened by evil. The only hope for mankind is the Fifth Element, who comes to Earth every five thousand years to protect the humans with four stones of the four elements: fire, water, Earth and air. 

And so the stage is set for The Fifth Element (one of our favorite movies - a 1997 sci-fi with Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich and Gary Oldman). One scene features a Blue Diva, played onscreen by Maïwenn Le Besco.  Maïwenn thought her cameo was quite short and unimpressionable, but she had no idea she would ultimately have a huge cult following. (Especially among sopranos and opera lovers everywhere.) Her performance as the alien diva Plavalaguna is actually lip-synced to a recording by the incredible Albanian soprano Inva Mula. She begins with "The Mad Scene" "Il dolce suono" aria from the opera Lucia di Lammermoor, written by Gaetano Donizetti. It is breath-taking and Mula's voice sounds like melted butter, effortless and perfect.

Ahhhhh. I am learning The Mad Scene - it is lovely.

Christmas Memories

We get so busy at Christmastime - buying and wrapping surprises, preparing orchestra books for church services, planning dinners, going to fun events with family. Sometimes we're running without thinking.

One evening, as we were frantically gathering gifts and wrapping presents, my darling husband Jim wrapped one arm around me, softly held my hand, and dancing slowly, guided me over to the mistletoe. The Christmas tree lights were soft and twinkling, Vince Guaraldi was playing, and for one delicious moment, he tenderly kissed me. Ah! My favorite Christmas memory!

The Vortex

I see it coming down the road,
A small speck of whirling dervish.
As it gets closer,
I see the whirl and the colors
And I am curious.

The vortex looms before me,
And I see the whirl and the colors
And I am enamored.

And just for a moment,
I am caught up by the outer whirl of the vortex
And I whirl around
And excitement turns to fear and to horror.
There is no stopping, no calm, no stillness to embrace.
There is the movement that goes faster and faster.
The only purpose of the vortex is to keep moving
As quickly as possible.

Without the constant movement,
Faster and faster,
It is nothing.

I creep to the outer edge of the vortex
Going faster and faster.
I slip out.
The vortex is unchanged, because it moves only for itself.

And the vortex moves on,
Catching up everything in its path.

And I am safe now,
Standing still.



© 2019 Rebecca Burrington