All Rosary Makers

With the grace of God in my heart, I finally felt the beginning of my journey as a cantor has finally arrived, finally begins and finally here.  It's as if I am finally being accepted as ready to move up to the next level of my training in this journey as His cantor.  

I started to feel it a couple of weeks ago when suddenly, on a Saturday, singing at St. Ann, when Curtis was on vacation.  I started to sing, and felt a sense of difference in me.  I just sing.  My voice, I felt it was different.  Everything was, felt as if, perfect.  I was in my zone again.  As if I was in a bubble and singing.  I just let go and let myself sing.  

It very much started a few weeks back when Curtis started humming a children's song while the children were walking out of the church.  I started humming with him as if I knew the song.  As if it was a song that seems like I have been waiting for a long time.  The Wednesday rehearsal following that Sunday's mass, Curtis gave us the music to a new song called Let The Children Come.  I started singing it as if I knew it with familiarity.  It was simple and pretty, very pretty.  He then said to sing it like a lullaby.  So I did.  I sang it at rehearsal as if I have sung it before, as if I knew that song before, so I sung on.  While singing it, the more I sing it, the more it feels like it is one with me, in my heart, and I sing on. 

Since it is a new song, I hummed it from that Wednesday to Saturday for the vigil mass.  At mass, when we started singing that children's song, I suddenly felt a "me" in it and it was beautiful.  I felt the rise of my voice to the top of that high note with passion and poise, and then move down to holding off three middle notes, then pause for half a note, and continue on with the rest of the refrain.  Oh, it was so beautiful, the song.   I was in my element.  That's how Dave would call it.  And yes, I agree.  I was in my "zone," my bubble kind of moment.  From there on, the rest of the mass, I was flowing in space as I sing each song, each part, each note, and each song was so beautiful.  I felt it.  I knew I was doing my job correctly. 

Dave, my husband, kept complimenting me.  Of course, I thought to myself.  He is my husband.  Of course he will compliment me and my singing.  However, next morning, at the rehearsal at St. Ann for the 8am mass, Terry came up to me, put his arm around my shoulder and said, "My son loves your voice.  He loves your voice."  Nodding his head with his eyes closed and with a smile.  "Oh, thank you!" I replied, "Thank you! Please tell your son I said Thank You."  Then his wife came up to me and put her arm around my shoulder and said, "Aimee, yesterday after the mass, people came up to me and asked, who was singing the descant part?  Her voice was so beautiful."  Sue said. She continued and said, "Oh, yes, I know who that is!"   And she gave me a smile.  She then continued and said, "People loved it so much that they asked me if they can take the music sheet home.  Yes,  I told them yes, of course, they can take it home.  You did a great job singing yesterday."  Sue smiled, nodded her head and walked away.

 Oh Lord, I prayed.  Can I do it again?  I hope.  I really pray that I can do it again and again.  

 This past Sunday, I was cantoring at St. Francis for the 7:30am mass.  There, I felt the difference again.  I felt that confidence in my heart and the perfect counting with perfect notes again.  Just my voice, I woke up with a sore throat.  Why, interestingly, I wake up with a sore throat every time I have to cantor.  I think I'm the one to cause it.

 Anyhow, this past Sunday at St. Ann, while I was singing the 12pm noon mass, I suddenly have this idea came to me, to talk to Denise!  Yes, talk to Denise and ask her if I can sing all the masses, anything and all things that no one wants to sing.  I would sing like Stations of the Cross, the Anointing of the Sick, the First Fridays, etc.  Let me sing all the masses that no one wants to sing so I can get more practice.  In fact, ask Denise if I can sing all the 7:30am masses for the next set of cantor schedule, so I can get more practice.  What a great idea!  I thought to myself.

 After the 12pm mass at St. Ann, I went to St. Francis for the Spanish mass.  Since we have our grand-baby with us, I need to go to St. Francis quickly so Dave can play.  I got to St. Francis, got out of the car, walked as fast as I can, and got to the door.  I went inside, and there on the hallway, I saw Denise.  "Hi Denise!"  I called out.  She was walking up towards my direction.  "Hi, Aimee! I need to talk to you."  Denise said.  

 "Yes, same here.  I was thinking this morning to talk to you too."  I told Denise.  I then told her about the idea of assigning me to any mass that no one wants to sing, I would like to do them all so I can practice.

 Denise said she was going to ask me if I'd like to do the Corpus Christi next Sunday. 

 Oh my goodness, yes!  "Yes!"  I replied.  "Yes! Thank  you!"

 We then talked for a little while. I shared with Denise my analytic viewpoint of my singing and what went wrong at some of the times and why and how I caused myself messing up my singing.  I then told Denise how I think I can fix it.  I need more practice, "Practice makes perfect."  I started the conversation with that and I asked if I can do all the 7:30am mass. 

 Oh, God, thank You!  Thank You for sending Denise to me.  Thank you for sending Curtis to teach me.  Thank you for all the great teachers that I have had since day one of my service for you at St. Peter's Church in Riverdale, Yonkers, New York.

 This coming weekend is Corpus Christi.  Here are the songs that I will be singing.  Please be my guide and lead me.  Thank you, God.

 Dear God, thank You.  I pray that You stay close to me in my heart as I sing the Corpus Christi for you this weekend. 

 Corpus Christi Adoration/Procession - this Sunday, June 26 @ 3 PM