The first time I sang this anthem, I was pregnant with Babiest Girl....16 years ago - the Sunday before Thanksgiving. "All good gifts around us are sent from Heaven above. So thank the Lord, Oh thank the Lord for all his Love...." The words are familiar and simple....the melody and harmonies are haunting and soul stirring. I have never sung this piece, that it did not reduce me to tears - today was no exception.
The tears have actually flown freely in the last 24 hours.....First - it was a YaYa Weekend, so there were tears of joyful greetings, tears from laughter, and tears from worries and troubles shared. Sadly, I had to leave the Gathering early, to get to the Theatre for the final performance of my current Show. At Intermission, the Night Manager came to my dressing room, and told me I had a friend in the Audience. The name she offered rang no bells, and I momentarily feared for the state of my stellar memory. A tugging began in the back of my mind, as I thought - that must be a married name. I grabbed up my phone, and started going through my FaceBook friend list - and then....NO.....it couldn't be. My Childhood friend.....my Neighborhood Bestie.....how many hours had we spent, playing in the creek, skating in her carport.....putting on plays in my room, playing Monopoly, praying for snow days.....
I could hardly wait for the show to be over. Would I recognize her? Suddenly, her sweet face was in front of me...unchanged over the years. More tears, shrieks of joy and disbelief....her dear smile transporting me to long ago and far away.
This morning, surprise tears overtook me, as I learned that a young woman I have long loved had been named a Deacon in our Church. I taught this girl in Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and Children's Choir. As she grew to a Teenager, she became my babysitter, and as she grew to Adulthood, she became my friend. I had to lock myself in my office to cry tears of happiness and wonder, as I bore witness to the Circle of Life.
Which is how I found myself in the Choir Loft at the 11:00 service singing through my tears..."All good gifts around us are sent from Heaven above. So thank the Lord, Oh thank the Lord for all his Love". In that 8 pages of music I saw myself as a little girl, long hair flying as I twirled around a carport in my new boot skates.....I felt myself pregnant with my last child, happy and wistful...I was a naturally raven haired 20 something (no hair dye required), walking through campus with my friends....I was a MidLife Wife, astonished by how blessed life can be - even when it is bone crushingly difficult....
I lifted my voice in Thanksgiving....grateful to know that you can dance in the rain, mindful that I have been granted my hearts desire - a family to love and call my own. Grateful for the view from MidLife - where I can pause, and see the tapestry, woven by my years on this earth.....see the beautiful smiles of old friends, cry tears of love and remembrance, and hold hope for the sunshine tomorrow. So, thank the Lord......for all his love.....Blessed Be.
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