How can we keep from singing?

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Being a singer, there are usually only a few things that can keep me from singing -- laryngitis, other health issues or a busy schedule. The past few years I have had all three happen to me at one time or another, sometimes all at once! To be frank, my eye issues prevented me from singing for a while because I had trouble reading the music.

Even though we can't sing in a formal setting on a regular basis, the message of the devotional and the psalm is that we can keep singing in our hearts with songs of love and praise. Regardless of our circumstances or our health issues, we can still keep the songs in our heart flowing to God.

You never know how the songs in your heart will affect you and affect other people. I was humming a contemporary Christian song in the elevator at work the other day. Someone grinned at me and said "Thank you. I needed to hear someone be happy today". Wow! There have been many times that the song in my heart uplifted my weary mind.

Lord, please help keep the songs in my heart, and maybe share them with others when you want me to.

Friendship Sunday

The friend I want to talk about this week is actually a group of friends - The Dinner Group (TDG). We have 12 folks in our dinner group from church. I have been very fortunate to find some small chosen families at church. This group is especially important to me for several reasons.

First, it is a diverse group of folks. Married, single, straight, gay, men, women, varying in age, varying in career choices, etc. We are always learning more about each other every time we meet.

Second, there is stability in the relationship. Even though we are supposed to take the summer off or join a new group each year, we decided we wanted to retain this little family. We know who will bring a great new dish each month. We know who we want to bring our favorite dip each month because we all love it so much. We also know that I sort of suck at cooking and they accept me any way!

Lastly, we care about each other. The flow emails, texts and phone calls are sincere and timely. That is what makes a chosen family so special. The caring is by choice and not our blood obligation.

Please note that I didn't try to compare TDG to the Gilligan's Island castaways. There is really no comparison to anything I have experienced before.

Other stuff

I had a lazy day on Saturday! Went to a movie, took a nap and went to a cookout! I did a few errands and a couple of loads of laundry as well. The cookout was very nice. It was for the friends and families of my walking buddy's work place. I met a lot of new people, which was a lot of fun. The weather was perfect. The house was awesome. The company was better. I watched my DVR of Warehouse 13 when I got home. I think that is my new favorite show.