Choral Ethics: Being Grateful

“I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.” Henry David Thoreau

Today’s Choral Ethics blog is a revisit and one of Choral Ethics most requested blogs, edited to be timely. Happy Thanksgiving, ChoralNet! ~MLGA

I always try to be grateful, and I remain grateful, despite much upheaval in our world. There is one thing I know for certain; there is plenty more Good than there is evil in the world. And for all of that Good, I am grateful.

This fall and winter—seasons of our busyness—we are busier than last year, and many of us are just about back to normal. I am grateful for past and future opportunities to share our Art and for the knowledge that what we do matters.

Singing in a choir is something that draws people together and when the world is going to heck, it is healing. I am grateful for the opportunity to occasionally sing in a chorus myself. It makes me feel great to let someone else take over the “steering wheel” too, so I am grateful for an opportunity to sing with the South Holland Master Chorale and occasionally my own Alumni Chorus.

I am grateful for the music; the music I know and the music I don’t yet know. It was a privilege to have wonderful teachers, both male and female, guide me and for those pedagogues, Dr. Rao, Dr. Larson, Dr. Heider and my darling Dr. Groeling, I am grateful.

I work with a group of wonderful singers in my own chamber choir. Their musicianship and their constant growth humble and amaze me. Along with our accompanist, Ben, (who also sings bari-tenor or is it tenor-tone?) I am grateful for Kari, Marcella, Deb, Cindy, Rae, Emile, BJ and Ben too. I don’t know what I did to deserve them, but I am happy they are in my life. We were SO BLESSED to be able to sing together.

ChoralNet is pretty great. I am lucky to have been a ChoralNet User since 1995. The people I’ve met and the knowledge I’ve had access to has helped me in my career in so many ways. I’ve been a ChoralNet Moderator since 2011—THIRTEEN YEARS! — and have been blessed to work with some of the best human beings it has been my privilege to know.  I am grateful for my fellow Moderators and for Robyn too!

I am grateful for having enough to eat, a good and warm place to sleep and people I love to share it with. Of course, I am grateful for my family, who are the light of my life. Most days, our life together isn’t perfect, but some days, it’s practically perfect….we have a great life! I am honored and grateful for having had such wonderful parents who allowed me to dream and supported me in subtle ways. Having lost Dad this year, I revel in the privilege of being raised by artists, true artists, and how my simple gratitude will never be enough to manifest that gratefulness . My Baby Bro has been my Rock, and I am so grateful for his presence in my life.

I live in a wonderful, diverse community with a great sense of what it means to be a community. I am blessed to be able to work with many, many wonderful fellow musicians and visual artists and businesspeople sharing a vision for our community; for all of them (too numerous to name), I am grateful.

I have wonderful friends; some have been part of my life for a long time, and some have been part of my life for a short time. Robin, my oldest friend, is the only person I’ll name here but the others know who they are. And I hope they know what they truly mean to me. I am grateful for the fun times and serious times and silly times we’ve shared too!

I am a very healthy person, outside of allergies, and am rarely sick.  So, I am grateful for my good health and the relatively good health of those I love. My son Russell’s autism doesn’t count as illness; his ability to overcome some of his challenges and remain a sweet guy is something for which I am grateful.

There are many, many more people and things I am grateful for…including YOU!

Happy Thanksgiving, ChoralNet!