By: Susan Wordal
It’s a New Year! 2023 rolled in on Sunday with a delightful story read by Carolyn Pinet. We were so cozy in the Boyd Room, but probably a little startled to see more people on a Sunday after a night spent “ringing in the new” or spent comforting our canine and other furry friends or our dear ones who do not handle all that popping and banging from fireworks. We sang lovely hymns with Chris Fastnow, who wore a sparkly jacket and looked ready for the season. We shared hot beverages and lovely cookies and left feeling we’d started off the next adventure in the company of those we love and with a look forward rather than back.
But looking back can also be a good thing. The Advent Season is so full of wonderful things and we get so busy plotting the surprises under the tree and enjoying the hustle and bustle that we sometimes forget to reflect on the year coming to a close.
The one thing I realized I was missing this year was playing with the handbell choir at church. Odd how when you don’t do something for a time, you realize other things have filled in for that activity. Not always with the same level of enjoyment, but there it is. We adjust. We’ve done a crazy amount of adjusting the last couple years with Covid and social distancing and figuring out new ways to communicate. But despite our ability to do many things through electronic means, there is just something about being part of a group creating music. But people are continuing to share their inspirations on that front, as well.
Then I had an invitation from M.A. Bellingham, our Bell Choir Director, to join in a concert with Bells of the Bridgers and play chimes. I was excited! And, it was fun to see familiar faces (when we weren’t covering up with masks to protect everyone) and join in this collective musical endeavor.
As I listened to the concert both nights, I realized how much I’ve missed this collective experience. It’s truly a unique one. Imagine standing at a piano and knowing you are only responsible for hitting a total of 3 or 4 notes (depending on whether you need to play the white keys, the black keys, or some combination of them). Talk about a crowd around a piano. But with bells, you can stand in a line, or 2 lines if you have enough bells and ringers, and you can strike your individual notes and collectively you play the music. It’s not like an orchestra where each instrument layers over another to create the piece. In this case, it’s truly a collaborative effort. And the sound….! It has such richness to it. The chimes add such a dimension, somewhat like the changing tonalities of an organ without all of the “noise” as some people view it. It’s softer and richer in some ways. [Sorry Grandma Norma, but I never could get the hang of the organ, even though you played one for YEARS!!]
There’s a sense, as we head into this new year, that we need to begin to find ways to start picking up things we have left off doing. With Covid still rearing its ugly head, doing that can be a little interesting. Singing is difficult while wearing a mask, but it can be done. Bell playing, on the other hand, can be done with masks! Some of our ringers at Pilgrim will not be returning for one reason or another. But, if there are some folks out there who can count, and can follow directions, and maybe have a little appreciation for music, maybe it’s time to begin to “ring in the year”. I’m hoping that this year will see that dream come alive and the music flow.
Care to “ring” with me? Come on……let’s RING!