Music--Day 37

I was browsing again and came upon this blog: http://thomp86.blogspot.com/ . It's great seeing people try to do so much good for their community and the world. I left him a comment saying so, and he left me one as well, saying my blog was inspirational. As I mentioned in so many words in my last post, I try not to take pride in compliments such as this, but rather give glory to God. Coming from a chaplain, though, that meant a lot.

I also came upon this blog : http://thingnextdoor.blogspot.com/ --a very dark and gothic site. I found it interesting for a couple reasons. For one, I saw a neighbor boy outside MC Sporting Goods yesterday waiting for his grandma to pick him up. He said she'd be by in a few minutes. After looking and finding some shoes for the kids, we left and he was still there, so we waited with him. I put Gabrielle's shoelaces in her new shoes while I waited and asked Caleb what he was up to. He told me he was there to buy some stuff for hockey. He showed me his stick, some tape and a puck. It was still early, so I asked him if he had gone to church this morning. He said no. I asked if he believed in God. He said yes. He said he knew someone down the street who probably didn't though. Colton, still so very innocent at 10 years of age, said he didn't think there was anyone who didn't believe in God. Unfortunately, I told him, there are. I asked Caleb what he meant. He said there was a very Goth boy with a Goth girlfriend down the road who like to wear dark clothes, makeup and like to cut their wrists. I hope it's not true all goths are non-believers, because there's a lot of them out there, including many musical groups, which leads me to the other reason I enjoyed the site.

I love hearing new music, whether it's a new song from an already popular artist, or new music from an artist I've never heard before. More often than not, it's a woman. Women just seem to have such a wider vocal range, whether it's Mariah Carey, Alanis Morrisette, or Tarja Turunen. I had never heard of the latter before until coming upon this site and while the video for the song is a little odd, her voice is hauntingly beautiful. I was noticing yesterday when hearing the music outside at Mom and Dad's that I hadn't listened to non-Christian music in some time. Hearing Tarja's music brought back memories of goth/alternative music I like that I had not listened to in a couple months like My Chemical Romance and 30 Seconds from Mars. My Chemical Romance actually had a concert date on the same day of the church's prayer vigil I attended (4/20/08). I relate that music to negativity now, because it probably sounds depressing to many people, and I'm doing what I can to stay away from negativity. I'm going to have to check it out again, to see what I get from it. Different people work out their problems in different ways (this blog, case-in-point), so that is their way to work through their emotional baggage and make a living doing it.

Another great female voice is Gabrielle's. I love having the kids out with us during the praise and worship time. Later on in the day, when I got a song on my mind from the morning worship, and they hear me humming or singing it, both Gabrielle and Colton starting singing along. Me: "Forever, and ever. Forever..." Them, in perfect harmony: "Forever God is faithful. Forever God is strong. Forever God is with us. Forever and ever. Forever..."

I love being able to hold Gabrielle during that time so she is better able to see the words. Although my arms are killing me and I lose feeling in my hands after a few songs, it is worth it when she faces the screen towards the back and sings the words in my ear. If the song is slow enough, I say the words before we sing them in case she can't read them. She is able to catch on to most of the chorus's though.

Later in the day, she caught on very quickly to a point I was trying to make. Max, our dog, had gotten out and we had all walked up and down the road trying to get him (It's the cutest thing seeing Noah, say "Maxie! Come here!" and then pat his knees trying to get him to come.). I went back in the house for a bit and Caleb came to the back door with the dog. He says "Is this your dog?", I thanked him and said "Yeah", and we both chuckled. I asked the kids on our way to Grandma's if they thought there was any reason Caleb had gotten our dog for us, other than he's a nice kid. Gabrielle's hand shot up. "I know, I know!!". She said it was because we had waited with him at the sports store. I told her that's what I was thinking. It's an interesting thought. I'll just praise God either way. Thank you Jesus. For everything.