Make me a channel of your peace

I was stalking around Youtube last night and found this video. It sort of make me miss my choir. Of late, our choir has semi-retired. Previously, our choir leader was this very loud, very assertive lawyer who really amuse and yet, gain my respect with the way he conducted it. Some folks cannot endure the ‘abuses’ but I do not mind because it is only in drilling and pushing us that we get better.

He always come up with new song notes and new way to sing old hymns. Once, he imported the music notes from UK for the song ‘You raise me up’. The courier charges alone cost RM100. Being a lawyer and a Catholic, there is no such thing as pirated stuffs, you see. Then, at another time, he gave us this hymn which is the Prayer of St. Francis Assisi.

He showed us the original photocopied notes, which he said contains the hand-writing of the person who modified the song for Princess Diana’s funeral service. The below video is the song sung at Princess Diana’s funeral.

Make me a channel of your peace is a really beautiful song and our choir group even had to hit the high notes towards the end of the song. It is only Gerald, our ex-choir leader who can pushed us to that greater heights. He left Malaysia for Singapore and now, we only ‘merely perform’ instead of flying high like the eagles wings. It is not easy to conduct a choir especially when they are made up of different background of people, some totally noobs like me, some elderly and some children. It takes us at least three months of every Sunday morning practice to be able to sing at one mass.

Our next choir will be for Christmas 2008 and I think by September, we have to start practising again. I joined the choir not because I wanted to but because in 2003, I accompanied my son for his practices and they roped me in. I couldn’t sing to save my life but now, I think I am ok lah…. Nothing is impossible with God.