August 5, 2015

The choir's away and
the rest of us suddenly
have lost our voices
Episcopal Haiku

I have a little book of Episcopal Haiku on my bookshelf that originally belonged to Joan Collins.  Everyone once in awhile I will glance through it just to see if there's anything in there that grabs my attention.  I'm really not much of a haiku kind of guy, but you never know what might spark your imagination.

Summer is winding down.  Autumn is not yet within reach.  These are what people refer to as the dog days of summer.  They seem to slowly creep by as parents eagerly wait for school to start, children try to milk every last day of freedom they can, and all of us look forward for the temperature to begin dropping.

There can be a sense that summer has no schedule, that it just floats along.  There can be a yearning to get back to the regularity of a schedule; not only for sanity's sake, but because it lets us know what to expect.  And if there's one thing I know about Episcopalians, it's that we like to know what to expect on Sundays.

The bulletin from this past Sunday indicated that choir practice would start up again today, August 5.  I think that was the original plan, but Michele is in the middle of a house move, and several choir members are busy doing summer vacation-type things.  So the choir will reconvene on Wednesday, September 9, or so I'm told (check with the office to be sure).

We have done a commendable job with our music during the summer.  Deacon Joani has stepped up and taken on the task and challenge of playing the organ.  And when she was off gallivanting around Spain, Edla filled in.

This past year Michele Kyle has, I think, done an excellent job with the choir.  Everything from organization to choosing new music and directing, she has been a great asset for St. Luke's.  Those in the choir have performed well and have helped to lead the congregation in various musical offerings.

But with summer also comes vacations, guests, a variety of other commitments and maybe even a house move.  So the choir took a few well-deserved months off.  While they were doing everything from floating the river to touring Spain to sitting with the rest of the congregation on Sundays, we were all busy making a joyful noise.  And as I ponder the joyful noise we made together this past summer, and look forward to the choir's return in September, I offer you my own feeble Haiku:

Autumn now draws near
Angelic voices soon heard;
Hymns are sung with glee

Amen.