This is from my recent Tech Talk column on Catholicmom.com. Portions of this article were taken from my upcoming book, River of Grace: Creative Passages Through Difficult Times, from Ave Maria Press. It is available on Amazon.
From my first CD called Teach Me to Love I present a fun and uplifting song, “Come Holy Spirit!”
Of all the songs recorded for this album, “Come Holy Spirit!” was the most fun. At the time of its recording in 2000, my husband Rich was co-leading the youth choir at our parish of St. Luke the Evangelist. Made up of teenagers (along with Rich, co-leader Sarah Connors and percussionist Joe Jaworski), the youth choir sang at the Sunday night 6:30 mass. Continue reading “Celebration in Song: “Come Holy Spirit!””→
Mother Teresa died right around the same time that Princess Diana died. With Diana dominating the headlines, there was very little attention focused upon what had been a living saint. It was then that I sat down and wrote “Teach Me to Love” so that I could honor this woman small in stature who loomed large in her service to the poor.
Who is that singing with me?
I love “Teach Me to Love” for another reason– because my daughter Meredith, then eleven, sang on this song with me. Here she is in the recording studio:
This is the result:
Eight years later, Meredith and I had a chance to sing “Teach Me to Love” at our parish coffeehouse and someone captured it on video:
Part of the healing process
“Teach Me to Love” was an important song when it came to learning to sing again after losing my voice. In River of Grace I write,
“That first small step back to music was taken with my high school confirmation class. After hearing a speaker who had worked with Mother Teresa, we returned to our classrooms to discuss it. As music has a unique way of conveying a message, I wanted to present the right song to the class that would affirm what we had learned about Mother Teresa’s mission while creating an atmosphere conducive to prayer and reflection. Searching through my iPod, I came upon one of my own songs called “Teach Me to Love.” The words were perfect but the song was recorded in a way that would not produce the ambiance I desired. I paused, wondering if I still had the voice to sing it live in front of my students. Singing to them in person would create a sense of intimacy that a recording could never achieve. I decided to go for it. I loved these kids and wanted to give them the best opportunity for meaningful prayer and reflection. The result was that sweet stillness in the air followed by spontaneous applause. By overcoming fear I was able to lead my students into a sacred moment. I gave; the gift was returned, and it became a prayer.”
“Teach Me to Love” is part of the Teach Me to Love CD.
Mother Teresa died right around the same time that Princess Diana died. With Diana dominating the headlines, there was very little attention focused upon what had been a living saint. It was then that I sat down and wrote “Teach Me to Love” so that I could honor this woman small in stature who loomed large in her service to the poor. Continue reading “Celebrate with Song: “Teach Me to Love””→
In the last post I wrote about my dear friend and the inner healing she received from God as she copes with Ménière’s disease.
I would now like to share my own story of healing from God, a healing I consider miraculous.
Some of you may know that I was a professional singer and songwriter, focusing on songs about my faith. For many years I recorded CDs and appeared on EWTN and CatholicTV. I was blessed with the opportunity to perform at World Youth Day 2002 in Toronto. I served for thirty-seven years in various capacities of music ministry in my home parish.
I poured my heart and soul into my music. Only my faith and my family meant more.
Four years ago, only a few months after my mother died I noticed that my voice was becoming weak. It always seemed to fail when I was performing in front of a crowd. Sometimes the clear, strong sound I was accustomed to would sail out of my throat; at other times this weak and wobbly noise would come out instead. I never knew when it would happen and I cringed at the sound of it.
My voice had been rock-solid; now it was erratic.
Once totally at home in front of people, I became terrified of singing in public.
I had to put a halt to my music career. I stopped doing live performances and resigned from music ministry at my parish.
It was a difficult loss to accept and the grieving process was not unlike mourning the death of my mother.
Four years later I can claim a healing.
It was completely unexpected and not something I asked for.
It began with having my throat blessed by the priest after mass in honor of the feast of St. Blaise. St. Blaise is the patron saint of ailments of the throat; legend has it that he cured a boy who got a fishbone caught in his throat.
The priest takes two candles crossed together and places them on the throat while reciting a short prayer.
The line was long since the priest insisted on doing the blessings himself. It gave me time to reflect. Did I want a healing? Did I believe I could be healed? I nearly stepped out of line but decided to stay. After my throat was blessed I left the church in tears.
I had no idea what would come of it. It turned out to be far more than I ever expected.
Consider this scripture where Jesus says “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38 (NIV).
Consider too the story of the handful of loaves and fishes feeding five thousand from Matthew 14:13-21.
These two scripture passages set the stage for the healing I was about to receive because I left myself open to what God wanted to give.
Some of the most wonderful gifts from God come in the form of whispers.
They are the small gifts. The gifts for a particular moment, not to be grasped at, but merely accepted. And if the taker is alert and awake, the heart will swell with gratitude.
On a Sunday not too long ago, I was the fortunate recipient of a bevy of such gifts.
First, a little background. For most of my life, I was a vocalist and songwriter …
The greatest joy as a vocalist was leading the singing at Sunday mass. My parish, St. Luke the Evangelist in Westborough, MA is a blessed community full of active, generous and loving people.
The church building is a minor cathedral, acoustically perfect with high concrete ceilings, carved pillars supporting graceful Corinthian arches, and shiny slate floors. Voices ring and linger in that sacred space.
Each Sunday I enjoyed the privilege of choosing the music and leading the congregation in prayer through song …
I led music for most of my adult life. In 2010, all that changed …
The world is a scary place and lately it’s been getting to me. I imagine it’s getting to you too. Are you finding yourself more anxious than usual? Mine is certainly not helped by morbid curiosity over the news.
And I’m wondering why I’m grinding my teeth more than usual?!?
I came across a song yesterday that affirmed what I was feeling when I wrote the previous post –
Prayer is the answer.
The song is called “That’s Why I Pray” and it’s performed by Big and Rich and written by Sarah Buxton, Danelle Leverett and Blair Daly. The chorus says it all:
“Oh I’m begging for forgiveness / I wanna make a difference, even in the smallest way / I’m only one person, but I can feel it working / I believe in better days / That’s why I pray.”
This is the perfect song for this time in our lives.
There was another song released years ago, written and performed by Michard Card especially for the National Day of Prayer. It’s called “Heal Our Land” and it seemed appropriate to include it here too:
This is from my recent Tech Talk column on Catholicmom.com. Portions of this article were taken from my upcoming book, River of Grace: Creative Passages Through Difficult Times, from Ave Maria Press. It is available on Amazon.
From my first CD called 
Be as One 