Handel's Messiah

Rich and I have been rehearsing for the last 4 months with a choir to sing for a Christmas concert.  We learned 7 songs from Handel's Messiah and various carols too.  We absolutely loved it.  We took Claire to our twice weekly rehearsals and laid her out on a blanket right in front of the front row where we stood.  In the beginning she was laying on her back, then she was rolling over for tummy time, then scooting toward the edge of the landing she was on, next she was crawling and climbing the step to suck on people's shoes.  Occasionally, she was passed around the soprano section - everyone loved her.  I passed one choir member in the hall before the concert and she said, "Hi........Claire's mom!".  Our director printed her name in the program as a *Special Choir Member, which was up there with other starred names of the professional soloists.  It was so nice of him to think of her and to welcome her to every rehearsal.

Before the performance my neighbor friend and fellow alto came over and did my hair and make-up.  Good thing she suggested it, because I haven't had energy to come up with those ideas on my own.  I guess it's the first time Rich has ever seen my hair curled!  He said, "Wow, we should get a picture."  Okay, okay, I need to put some more effort into my appearance.  I just remember spending so much time trying to curl my hair in high school and it would be straight again in an hour.  Thanks to hair products the curls stayed the whole night and I thought it looked great.  

Singing Handel's Messiah was a wonderful experience.  Before we sang, the choir director asked for another prayer to invite the Holy Ghost and the angels to sing with us.  While I was aware of the few mistakes heard, I got chills while singing and I was happy with the performance overall.  After the concert we walked outside and it had snowed.  A perfectly magical night!  Every tree was beautifully frosted in white.  Late that night I rocked Claire to sleep at my breast, hoping I will never forget that peaceful moment of taking in her soft skin, rosy cheeks, and beautiful perfection.