Oh that we could always see such spirit through the year.....

Music is such an inexpressable therapy for me, it gives such a thorough richness and deepness to my soul, and I feel it can sometimes give a more worthy expression of my gratitude to God for all the wonders he has given us. I believe St. Blaise said that "singing is like praying twice." This time of year is so special to me for so many reasons, one of them being that it gives me an irresistable urge to play the piano, and if I'm brave enough, to pull out my clarinet! These days, I'm really into Vince Guaraldi (the pianist who arranged all that jazzy music in the background of the show Peanuts) and I've been practicing "Christmastime is Here" on the piano. Christmastime in both my family and my husband's family is all about two things: Midnight Mass and Music! (Oh okay, food is good too). In both our families we have pianists, vocalists, violinists, floutists, cellists and one clarinetist (who does more squeaking than she does playing these days). On my side, we spend all night sitting around the piano as my father plays, taking turns singing, many times having to make up verses or skip sections ;) Some people are visiting with each other or flipping through photo albums while the grandchildren play with blocks under Grandpa's feet by the pedals. Many laughs are shared around the piano, many, many memories. I think that music, other than prayer, has been the glue which has held my family together through times thick and thin. I hope to fill our home with the same love and passion for music from which both my husband and I benefitted as children!