Everybody Sing!

I sang the Lord’s Prayer on Sunday. I sang a few other things too, but specifically the Lord’s Prayer. I hadn’t been to church in awhile. I work a lot of Sundays (and I had a nasty sinus infection for MONTHS so I couldn’t sing anyway), but I had this Sunday off. So I got to sing the Lord’s Prayer.

I like to sing. I’ve been singing since I was 5. I sang in the church choir as a kid. I sang in junior high choir. I sang in college. I sing in the car. I sometimes sing around the house. I sing show tunes. I sing the blues sometimes. I sing “Paradise by the Dashboard Light”. I definitely sang lullabies back in the day. But on Sunday, I sang the Lord’s Prayer.

If you ask Rock Star, he will tell you that I rarely sing. If you ask Girlygirl, she will tell you that I sing ALL THE TIME. (Hubby will say “I don’t know.” He's noncommittal that way.) I’m not sure why the difference.

On Sunday, when we got out of church, Girlygirl commented that when I sang the Lord’s Prayer, I had a “Victoria’s look” on my face.
I told her, “That’s because I know her secret!” ( I like to weird my kids out that way.)
“Huh? Oh. No.”
“Oh, you meant “victorious look”!

I suppose that I may have. See, when I open my mouth, I am really not sure what is going to come out! And I hadn’t sung in awhile, so I wasn’t too sure of myself. But my voice was there. It’s the one true gift I have. I’d forgotten that, because I hadn’t sung in so long. Everything else in my life, I have had to work at. But my voice is a gift. And because he gave it to me, I feel the need to give it back.

“For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory
And my voice,
For as long as you give it to me.
Amen”

It makes me cry sometimes. Like now.

I’m not a devout Christian. I’m quite liberal. I get there when I can. It means a lot to me deeply, though. If you aren’t Christian, that’s perfectly OK with me. You should sing anyway. At the very least in the shower or something.

According to a German study, singing is good for you. It releases endorphins that make you feel good. It makes you exercise your lungs and abdominal muscles. It boosts your immune system and increases your oxygen intake. It’s aerobic!! That’s my kind of exercise!

So sing. Sing when you enjoy it. Sing when it embarrasses your children. Find someone your age and sing songs from the 70’s or the 80’s. You know, from “back in the day”. I’m going to sing something today. I don’t know what yet. Any suggestions?