My Heart Sings

My first love was motherhood. I was always "the mother" when playing make believe in my childhood years and being not only the eldest child, but also the only girl, created the perfect opportunity for me to become a "mini-mom". My second love was music. I used to make up songs about how sad my life was because I had no sisters to play with, only rotten brothers (they seemed rotten at the time, now I wouldn't trade them for anything).
Visiting home always seems to make me nostalgic for my high school chorus days. I sang various alto parts all four years of high school and loved every minute of it. The other evening I went to a play that was put on by my old high school. I went with my best friend, Heidi, who was right by my side for all those years of chorus. We used to sing for fun. In fact, our friends who weren't in chorus were often embarrassed by our need to sing for no particular reason. While there, we bumped into another chorus friend of ours, as well as the accompanist from all our chorus concerts.
Seeing the faces of these wonderful people brought so much joy to my heart as memories flowed back about all the great times and learning experiences I've had from being involved in chorus.
Now we get to tonight and the reason for this post. My younger brother, Nathan, had a chorus concert tonight. He goes to a different high school than the one I attended, but at the end of the concert they invited all those who know the Hallelujah Chorus to come up and sing with the choir. Now, my high school choir performed the Hallelujah Chorus every Christmas season with the orchestra. We had rehearsed the song many times with no real incident. The night of the performance came, and I was ready to sing my heart out. Standing in the dim lighted cafeteria, the strings began their tune, and as I opened my mouth to sing, I found that I was choked up with tears streaming down my face. While I have always loved to express myself through singing, I had never felt such strong emotion come over me. At that moment, I was able to sing about Jesus Christ and let everyone know that He is my Savior. "Hallelujah! King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He shall reign forever and ever." So much joy filled my heart as I was able to share what I know through that holy song.
I had not had the opportunity to sing that song since I graduated from high school. Tonight, I was able to stand next to my brother and testify of Christ through that song. The tears filled my eyes again as I felt of the love that I have not only for my brother Nathan, but also for my brother, Jesus Christ. As I stood up there singing, I could not help but think of how glorious it'll be to sing my own glad tidings when the Savior comes again. I hope that when that time comes, I will be able to stand and sing with all of my family and the friends who have become my family. This Christmas, I wish that all could know of the love that the Savior has for each and every one of us. Tonight, I was given a gift through song. I was reminded of how precious all of our souls are, and I pray that I will be able to be an instrument for good in helping others find the joy that comes from opening our hearts to Jesus Christ.