{"id":57,"date":"2013-05-14T02:57:34","date_gmt":"2013-05-14T02:57:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/blessingsabound\/?p=57"},"modified":"2013-05-14T02:58:37","modified_gmt":"2013-05-14T02:58:37","slug":"the-blessing-of-song","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/2013\/05\/the-blessing-of-song.html","title":{"rendered":"The Blessing of Song"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Last night I had the pleasure and blessing of sitting in a temple with about twenty other people singing songs of praise and devotion for about two hours.\u00a0 Next to sitting in a place of exquisite natural beauty, this might be one of my most favorite things to do to lift my spirit.<\/p>\n

Where would we be without music?\u00a0 Music is medicine to our ears like beautiful art is medicine to our eyes.\u00a0 <\/span>Can you imagine a world without music?\u00a0 <\/span>Can you imagine voices which can talk and yell and scream, but never sing?\u00a0 <\/span>Can you imagine a world without birdsong?\u00a0 <\/span>That would be a very, very sad world.<\/p>\n

Some people play music almost constantly.\u00a0 <\/span>They listen to it while they shower, while they drive, while they work, while they make love.\u00a0 <\/span>Others pay large sums to hear music at concerts or symphonies.\u00a0 <\/span>I, however, have always enjoyed the music of the natural world.<\/p>\n

Which are your favorites?<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>The sound of the wind whistling and rustling through the pines.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>The mesmerizing sound of the roar and rush of the ocean\u2019s waves tumbling toward the shore.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>The sound of a stream as it falls and tumbles over rocks.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>The cheerful sound of birds greeting the morning.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>The serene sound of peepers or crickets peeping and chirping.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>The unique sound of coyotes singing.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>The haunting sound of wolves howling.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>The soothing sound of a river or lake gently lapping at the shore.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>The peace of a cat purring.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>The gentle hum of honeybees hovering around flowers.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>The gay sound of children laughing.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>The sound of a crackling fire.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>The murmurs and sighs of a lover.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>The sound of the humming, buzzing, and chirping of hummingbirds.<\/p>\n

And for slightly less \u201cnatural\u201d but still beautiful sounds, how about:<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>The sound of wind chimes?<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>The sound of singing bowls?<\/p>\n

We are blessed with so many senses.\u00a0 <\/span>There is beauty in sight, sound, smell, and touch.<\/p>\n

Today I celebrate the blessing of Song.\u00a0 <\/span>I am so grateful for the music of this Earth.\u00a0 <\/span>Blessings do indeed abound.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last night I had the pleasure and blessing of sitting in a temple with about twenty other people singing songs of praise and devotion for about two hours.\u00a0 Next to sitting in a place of exquisite natural beauty, this might be one of my most favorite things to do to lift my spirit. Where would…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":553,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,53,52],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blessings","category-music","category-song"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Blessing of Song - Blessings Abound<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Blessing of Song - Blessings Abound\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Last night I had the pleasure and blessing of sitting in a temple with about twenty other people singing songs of praise and devotion for about two hours.\u00a0 Next to sitting in a place of exquisite natural beauty, this might be one of my most favorite things to do to lift my spirit. 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