Memory 1

There is an organization that was a huge part of my life in my college days. That would be “Concert Choir.” At the time of my presidency, our choir took an international tour. Off to Ireland we went!

We had found ourselves at Kylemore Abbey. Have you been there before? I strongly suggest you go. A group of 50 people recuperating from jetlag is…quite a sight to see. Some friends and I were meandering around the gardens, taking in the sights, the concept of being across an ocean, and the green. We were in the midst of posing for a picture when we were approached by a couple. “Would you like someone to take the picture for you so you can all be together?” Their accent told us they were from England. We graciously accepted the offer and took this picture…

…the couple struck up a conversation with us and told us about their time in Ireland. We had a pleasant conversation about how they were simply on vacation and were heading back to London in the morning, the things they loved most about the country, and what they had done on their vacation. We told them that we were on day two of our journey, so they gave us a few pointers and sights to see. We explained that we were a part of a choir and that we were going to have a casual concert in the chapel of Kylemore Abbey. The couple was more than interested and they followed us to the chapel, sat through our ‘dress rehearsal’, and then proceeded to sit through our short 15-minute concert in the chapel. The man was taking pictures the whole time, the woman simply basking in the atmosphere of music.

After we finished we thanked them for coming to hear our music. They were truly blessed by what they had experienced. We explained to them that we were having a full concert in Galway later that night {they too were staying in Galway} and invited them to come to our concert if they so happened to be free.

Our concert came. Upon getting into position, we spotted our new English friends in the second row.

I don’t know if you’re a singer.

The little chapel at Kylemore Abbey. Trust me, it's little

I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Europe. Let me tell you, they have some beautiful churches, cathedrals, and ancient things. Every day people see these things and have their jaws drop at the majesty and beauty of it all. As a musician, factoring in the acoustical value of these venues, you can’t help but shiver with happiness and bliss. That evening was the first time I was ever to sing in a venue such as that, it was super beautiful. The concert was lovely, the sounds were lovely, the Irish people were lovely, so much…loveliness.

After our concert, the English woman friend that we had made approached a small group of us with tears in her eyes. “Thank you so much for letting us know about this. This is the greatest birthday I’ve had in years.” I was super shocked. What a super blessing to be able to meet this woman and assisting in the enjoyment of her birthday.

The power of music, people.