Yesterday i touched on what is one of my favourite times of the day...
i know i talked a bit about it in 'the Mollen years' too -
It's something that just sort of morphed into what it is right now over the years.
i've had a ton of people say, 'i'd love to sit in your house for a morning & just see what it's like...'
(By the way, no, you wouldn't - it's a little like a nut house sometimes & we have lots of attitude, volume & tears - )
But we also have times to sing songs & Praise God. In recent months, i've been organizing my music a little better than i have at other times in my life. Usually, it has been sprawled in complete disarray over my beautiful piano... folders of worship music, mixed with Violin, Royal Conservatory & fiddle music - stuff i'm writing - or music that has moved me recently & i've gone online & found it - or i've been transcribing.
Lately i've been taming the chaos a little & i'm loving it. i love being able to find what i'm looking for when i'm looking for it.
So, in the midst of organizing all my music, i made a little folder for our family worship. It doesn't have all the music we've done over the years... but i'm just starting now & i'm building on it as things come up.
So, back to our morning... when we're done at the kitchen table (we do history & bible right after breakfast at the table) - we move over to the living room. Right now i use my piano - i also like to shock the littles & use the ukulele or the accordion (only when Neil's not home HAHA!! i'm horrible, but it's fun to make noises on different instruments... )
It's different every time we do it. Sometimes (most times) it's a lot of jumping & dancing & singing at the top of our lungs... Sometimes it's a little more reflective. There are times where i get them to line up in a row & i accompany them with music while they quote scripture they've memorized... (i love this... i know it's powerful for them too...) There are also times where we don't have any accompaniment & we sing at the table - or i'll make them sing a verse 2 at a time - duets make them a little less shy & i love hearing their little voices individually. i try to do as many "rounds" as i can so that they'll start to hear harmony parts. Usually i'll get Mollen to sing a solo & have the others sit & listen.
i thought i'd share my little list - it's not the be all end all, but maybe it'll have something useful for someone.
Our God is an Awesome God
Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho - (i made them all watch Mahalia Jackson sing this one on Youtube to learn it - that was a fun day...)
Shalom Chaverim (thanks, LD!)
Jehovah Jireh
I Will Sing Unto The Lord
12 Men Went To Spy On Canaan
Love the Lord Your God
The Lord is my Shepherd
Rejoice in the Lord Always
Peter & John went to Pray - (we have a tradition of acting this one out while we're singing it... hehe... )
Dona Nobis Pacem -(latin for 'give us peace' - fitting for our house... *sigh*)
The Happy Song
Molls usually throws in a rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow... i know... it doesn't fit in the category of worship music... but it fits in our little service just right...
i hope that one day i get it together enough that my littles are playing instruments too (we've had times like that too - when we've had stuff worked up well enough...) but for now, i refuse to have perfectionism hold us back.
Our stumbling, bumbling little offerings *will* be brought - & my hope is that our family's worship time serves to honour God & bring Him glory. i want my littles to grow up feeling comfortable with Him - in His presence... Safe to call on Him... not hindered by what looks normal to those around them... but free to respond to Him as He calls.
Sometimes in the silence after a song- i can still faintly hear the ringing of the strings in my piano - i close my eyes & in the hush - i know that God has met with us.
What a Good God we serve - who loves the little children & who hears us & has compassion on us & is willing to meet us where we are.
6 comments:
I love this Paige. I can't wait until my littles can sing along with me. But for now Kellan just gets to listen to my singing :)
I can totally see Mollen throwing in her song!! Does she run downstairs and play the songs on her little piano with all the preset songs? Hehehe - funny little girl!
Thank you for sharing this. We've been having a little story & song time at the beginning of our homeschooling day for the past couple of weeks now (along the lines of "Unless the Lord builds a house, the builders labor in vain") and it's made a huge difference for us.
It's good to see how your time has developed and to see a song list. I know most of those on your list, and they are some great ones! One of our faves right now is "This is the Day." It helps to set our attitudes aright from the get-go...
I can just imagine them all singing. So sweet :)
What a blessing that you can do this together! I'm not gifted at all in music but my daughter has a deisre to sing at least. Your kids will treasure this forever.
I remember learning "Joshua Fit The Battle of Jericho" for a school choir number that we performed at a concert one time. Maybe Grade 5 or 6? Lots of parts. Down low "Joshua fit the battle of" and then lots of girls chiming in high "Jericho, Jericho, Jericho." It must have been a lot of fun because I still remember it! Saskatchewan Cousin!
HA...I'm glad you record these little events and your feelings about them. These memories are treasures to be pulled out and enjoyed again and again. And it is not hard to forget them over the years. I loved sharing music with you as a little girl too...mama
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