A very bitter-sweet day for 30+ members of the Choir and Orchestra who officially retired today. While I'm sure it was probably more bitter than sweet, I'd imagine the sweet part about it was thinking about how many lives they've influenced over the years and how many wonderful memories they've made. I've always been a fan of the theory that each person in the choir matters. From an earlier blog post:
"Even though we're unique, there are others in the world who are similar to us. They share similar burdens, have similar experiences, and conquer similar fears. They connect with who we are, at our core, and are influenced by our compassion and our empathy. Call them our "soul buddies" if you will.
So as singers, when we put everything who makes us, us, into our voices, combining the beautiful medium of communication (the song) with the sum total of our souls, we each end up influencing different people. Annie in California, Julio in Mexico, Monique in France, and Illiyan in Bulgaria hear the same united voices, but their souls are most affected and influenced by that one person who is their soul buddy. They feel the strength of the unified sound which is a combination of all of the unique voices. But they connect with that one voice. That one voice that can so effectively lift them and leave them with a feeling that they are not alone."
So, I think if you believed THAT (compounded over 20 years of Choir service), you'd be left with a pretty sweet feeling.
For me personally today, I felt particularly sad to have Ryan Bateman be part of the group retiring. Ryan and I have been great friends ever since I joined the Choir in 2014. I remember the day our friendship began. It was in the Conference Center during the summer. We had taken our assigned seats, but because of various people missing, the seating manager started rearranging us and I was stationed next to Ryan. I'm sure there was a little bit of the normal get-to-know-you talk, but after the broadcast was over, he put his hand on my shoulder and expressed how grateful he was to have made a new friend and how he looked forward to getting to know me better. I was impressed. And from that day forward, our friendship grew through conversations during choir breaks, singing next to each other during various performances (before I was moved several rows down on the seating chart), and having some rewarding experiences on choir tours. I've always appreciated Ryan's kindness, patience, and unconditional love. His rich choir history (having joined the choir in 1999) gave way to him often sharing interesting and insightful thoughts on music we've sung and on various experiences we had. We've also been able to enjoy occasional lunches outside of Choir which have been good since social time at Choir is always in small doses.
At any rate, I'm grateful for Ryan and will be praying for him and this interesting transition he'll be going through in the months and years ahead. In the words of Maria from The Sound of Music (cue "Climb Every Mountain"), "Where the Lord closes a door, somewhere he opens a window." You'll find your window Ryan. As will the other retirees.
I'll end with some photos of Ryan.
Until next time, God be with you.
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