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Dear Spirit Song,

I hope you’ve been able to soak in some of the beauty of this glorious summer day. Amidst the “tumult and strife” of these days, amidst this time of global pandemic, amidst the news of a horrific human tragedy in Lebanon, the simple, yet profound gift of the beauty of a summer day is so very grounding—as is the gift of community, especially this community that prays, sings and serves together. We do not walk alone. . . our loving and gracious God walks alongside us, carries us when necessary, and gives us each other. . .

As we bring this first year of Spirit Song to a close, here are some details you’ll want to know:

1. Recording project: Our world needs the powerful message of “Be Not Afraid”, so if you haven’t yet recorded and submitted your part, please do that as soon as possible. . . We need to have all of them submitted by August 13! If you have questions or concerns about any aspect of the music or the recording process, know that help is available! If you need any vocal or musical help, reach out to me: mary

If you need any recording help—reach out to Corey: corey

Remember, each one’s contribution is like a tile in a mosaic. . . separately they are incomplete. . together, they create a thing of incredible beauty! Remember to sing from your heart. . . and Don’t forget to clap!!! The claps are really, really important!

2. Music Turn in: We will be collecting sheet music from August 15-22. If you need to mail it in,

please send it to: Spirit Song Choir, 6100 Hadley Ave. S, Cottage Grove, MN 55016

(more details on this next week. . . ); If you are out of town that week, please know you can drop it off or mail it before that time, as well.

3. We hope everyone will be able to join us for our Evening Prayer of Gratitude on Thursday, August 13, at 7:00 p.m. We have much to be grateful for in this group. . . a year ago the idea had not even been articulated. . . look what can happen in a years time! Wow.

4. Tree photos: we need your help as we prepare for evening prayer. . . many people have a special fondness for, or special memories of a certain tree. . if you have any photos of yourself with a special tree, (the one you climbed as a child, a giant one you marveled at on your travels, one that was felled by a storm . . . ) please send a digital image of it to pam, by Monday, August 10.

5. We will begin Year 2 of Spirit Song on Thursday, September 17 at 7:00 p.m., via zoom. . .

If you know of anyone who would like to join us, this would be a great time to do so! Please encourage them to check us out, at www.spiritsongchoir.org All Are Welcome. Truly.

I think I covered all the details I was supposed to today! That’s a lot in one message. Thanks for taking the time to read it. . .and do the things!

Peace and Blessings,
Mary

Dear Spirit Song,

I hope you’ve had a chance to get outside on this absolutely beautiful spring day!

I’m looking forward to gathering as community to sing and pray together Thursday evening, and truly hope you can join us! Even if you haven’t joined in this way yet, or not for a while, please know that you are always welcome and we’d love to see you!

If you did not receive the Zoom invite in your inbox, double check your junk mail box. . If you still can’t find it, please send me a quick email, and I’ll send it to you directly!

Last week I mentioned a piece I’d like to begin with our Sopranos and Altos. . . the Sister Act Medley. . You’ll want to print it out, or save it to your computer or ipad. . however you like to manage such documents!

We are also excited to be moving toward a virtual choir project, and I’m excited to tell you more about that! . . . please plan to sign in after 6:50, once we’ve managed our tech check. . .

Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow! Peace and Blessings, Mary

Dear Spirit Song,

I hope this finds you well, as we continue to navigate these unchartered waters. . .

Thanks to all who were able to join us for last week’s rehearsal! It was wonderful to see you, and spend some time working on our music and spending time in prayer together. . .

This week we will rehearse on Tuesday, at 7:00 p.m., to keep Holy Thursday open. . .

If you did not receive the Zoom invite link, please reach out to me, and I will provide it;

mary

I want to share with you some of the ways Spirit Song is supporting our community in these challenging times, as well as some opportunities, if you are looking for ways to help:

1. Spirit Song is partnering with local businesswoman, and St. Therese Board member, Ann Tinucci Anderson, and a variety of community members, to provide Healing Hands Blessing Bags, which will include high quality hand lotion as well as a blessing card, to all 250 members of the St. Therese staff. St. Therese has been incredibly generous in giving us a place to call home, providing us a beautiful space in which to gather and rehearse since September, completely free of charge. Their “yes” literally made Spirit Song possible. We are grateful for the opportunity to offer a tangible blessing to these dedicated caregivers, who are pulling extraordinarily long hours, and whose hands are literally cracked and raw from so much handwashing, to care for all the needs of these very vulnerable residents. Please keep all of these folks, the residents, and the entire St. Therese community in your prayers.

2. The Christian Cupboard Emergency Food Shelf has seen their numbers increase by a factor of 3 in the past weeks. Several of our members, including Winnie Williams and Jennifer Smith are regular volunteers, and they have shared how truly urgent the current need is, to help put food on the tables of so many local families. To donate go directly to their website: www.ccefs.org

3. Singing with a Senior! This past week, our first 5 members spent time visiting and singing with some residents at Stonecrest, as a way to offer some companionship to residents who are isolated in their rooms, with no visitors. Interested in taking part? Just let me know !

4. Sewing Masks: A number of our members have been busy sewing masks for Woodbury Estates, St. Therese and the Christian Cupboard. Both St. Therese and the Christian Cupboard are still in need of more!

5. Singing at 6! Tune in to either or public or private facebook pages, at 6:00 each evening, to be a part of our Spirit Song community sing along, as we join out voices virtually to share some love and lift the spirit! Want to lead a song? Just let me know and we’ll get you on the schedule!

6. Choir Buddies: Want to be paired up with another choir member, to check in and offer support and encouragement during this time of isolation? Just let me know!

7. Pray without ceasing. . . prayer is powerful, and collective prayer, even more so. Members have begun posting prayer requests on our private facebook page, so we can pray together for the needs of our community and world. Both St. Therese and Stonecrest now have cases of Covid-19, despite strict lockdown practiced for weeks now, so the need is so very real. . .

Holding you all in prayer during this time. . . if you are in need of anything, please don’t hesitate to reach out. . . we are a community grounded in love. . . we are here for one another. . . You do not walk alone.

Peace and blessings,

Mary

Dear Spirit Song,

An editorial in Sunday’s StarTribune began:

“Some Minnesotans are visiting nursing home residents from outside through their windows. Others are organizing singalongs at safe distances and online to emphasize a sense of community and raise spirits. Still more caring souls are delivering food and supplies to the most vulnerable. Those are among the ways people are helping one another during the COVID-19 Crisis. . . “ I don’t know about you, but that did my heart good. As we journey together through this unchartered territory, the board and I met today, via Zoom meeting, to consider two questions:

1. How can we best support our Spirit Song Community during this time?
2. How can Spirit Song continue it’s mission during this time?

The simple fact that we could see each other’s faces and hear each other’s voices was incredibly joyful! We have missed each other! We had a full and rich conversation, which began with simply checking in with one another. We then explored these two big questions. . . Here’s what we are proposing, as a place to begin. . some of these things have already started, and others are ideas we think will work:

Spirit Song Choir Community Life:

1. 6:00 Sing Alongs! Face book live!

1. My good friend Bonnie always says you need to “sing a song a day!”
2. Go to our Spirit Song Choir face book page at 6:00 each evening and sing along!
3. Post or email any song requests
4. Let me know if you’d like to lead a song!

2. Prayer requests on our Spirit Song Choir facebook page.

This is a way for us to share our prayer requests and pray as community. . .

3. Choir Buddies:

During this time when we are needing to be physically distant, we want to make sure that we all stay connected as community. We’re proposing a “Choir Buddies” initiative. Folks will be paired up with another choir member, and we’ll get you in touch with each other. If you want to participate, simply let me know and we’ll start pairing you up! The idea is that you simply check in with each other regularly, by text, phone, or email. . . you can take it from there. . .

4. Are you in need of help or support of any kind right now?

Please send me a confidential email and we’ll see what we can do!

We are part of a beautiful, caring community here.

We need to take care of one another. . .

5. Thursday’s rehearsal at 7:00:

We are excited to begin using Zoom for our virtual rehearsals

Watch for an email invitation to this gathering!

(Note: I am not tech savvy and it was not difficult to navigate.)

While actually singing together isn’t possible, for a variety of reasons, we will use this time to gather, and be present to one another as community, and pray together.

I’ll continue to send out rehearsal plans. . and there are lots of tracks for you to use to continue to practice your parts! Set aside a practice time, and get busy singing.

Spirit Song Choir Service Opportunities:

1. Christian Cupboard Emergency Food Shelf:

The need is huge and growing.

If you can contribute financially, that is the best thing to do. . go to their website.

Donations are going out as fast as they are coming in!

They are also in need of paper grocery bags

2. Sing a song with a resident over the phone: Stonecrest would love to have singers who are comfortable singing alone, call residents and sing a song or two with them. I’m sure they’d enjoy chatting a bit, as well. If you are up for this, please let me know. Peg is working with Renee at Stonecrest to work out the logistics. Thank you Peg!

3. Send Cheery letters or cards to residents at St. Therese and Stonecrest.

St. Therese is also requesting some craft supplies

4. Sew masks: St. Therese, Woodbury Estates and Allina Hospitals are all requesting these. .

If you need more details on this, please send a quick message!

If you have fabric, 1/8” and ¼” elastic, thread. . . let me know!

There is a shortage of elastic, so if you’ve got some, there’s a need!

We closed our meeting today in prayer, for the needs of the world, and for all of you, our beloved Spirit Song Community. Know that you are in our hearts and prayers daily, as we journey together.

Peace and Blessings,

Mary

Dear Spirit Song,

Today we begin a brand new week, and our world and lives are changing. . .dramatically.

I’m holding all of you in prayer each day, for safety and health, and a rapid flattening of the curve!

One thing is constant. . . we are each held as the beloved of God, and that love is constant and unwavering. . During this time, how do we each embrace this reality, and live in that love, that knows no boundaries? Love, the most powerful force in the universe, is contagious! Let’s spread it in all the ways we can!

Each day as we have self-isolated, I’ve been trying to think of what we can do to lift spirits, assist and support those who must not go out at all, and how to leverage technology to help us do these things.

Inspired by our Italian sisters and brothers, we have started a daily community sing along at 6:00 p.m.

We step outside and sing a favorite song, with friends and neighbors. . . far and near! Please join us, and invite others to join in as well! Tonight our song is This Little Light of Mine– #591 in your book.

Tonight we hope to use Facebook Live on our Spirit Song Facebook group, to lead the song from our porch. . . I’m assured (by my children) that this is relatively simple to do, so it should be a go! In case you go there, and we’re not there, go ahead and sing anyway, and invite friends and neighbors to join in as well! So tune in tonight around 5:55, so we’re all ready to go at 6:00!

In closing, I’d like to share a reflection passed on by Ron Reimann, (my father-in-law, and Spirit Song member). . . make sure you read all the way to the end. . .

Peace and Blessings, Mary

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Below is an excerpt from an article written by Vice Admiral William McRaven, retired commander of the US Special Operations Command. He is an extraordinary naval officer and leader.

RHR, Sr