[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.17.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.17.3″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”11px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.17.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.3″ _module_preset=”default” inline_fonts=”Lora” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
One of my favorite things about community singing is that it keeps surprising me. Sometimes the songs are the miracle. Sometimes it’s the people. And sometimes, it’s three tiny snails.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re alive,\u201d we cried, our eyes fixed on the altar at the center of our solstice circle on the mountainside, adorned with flowers, stones, and, yes, three crawling snails.<\/p>\n
The surprise of it! Delight even!<\/p>\n
Not to see the shells, those had been transported on purpose.<\/p>\n
Everyone had been invited to find something beautiful on the hike to adorn the altar at the ceremony site.<\/p>\n
A sprig of California sage.<\/p>\n
A piece of cypress bark.<\/p>\n
A hawk\u2019s feather.<\/p>\n
One of us had chosen three snail shells, bleached so white in the sun…<\/p>\n
She placed them on the altar with care, admiring their fragile beauty, never dreaming they were living creatures.<\/p>\n
But as we gathered and began to sing, out they came, alive as could be!<\/p>\n
How wondrous! How unexpected! To see them emerge, browsing curious amidst scattered petals.<\/p>\n
How fitting though, the way these three lives wove into our celebration.<\/p>\n
I’ve thought about those snails many times since.<\/p>\n
We arrive at circle carrying so much.<\/p>\n
Parenting. Clients. Students. Aging parents. The endless invisible work of caring.<\/p>\n
Some evenings we arrive feeling a little like those shells.<\/p>\n
Then we sing.<\/p>\n
Little by little, people come back to life.<\/p>\n
Every week I get to watch this happen.<\/p>\n
We arrive tired. Distracted. Carrying too much.<\/p>\n
Then the cradle of song enfolds us, bodies swaying in rhythm.<\/p>\n
Little by little, something softens.<\/p>\n
Something wakes up.<\/p>\n
That’s what community singing does. It reminds us of the life inside of us, fanning our flame and bringing us vibrantly to life.<\/p>\n
Connection is the medicine. Singing is the practice.<\/p>\n
If your own shell has been feeling a little empty lately, Mothersong Chorus might be the medicine you seek. We welcome women and gender expansive folks at every level of singing experience.<\/p>\n
We\u2019d love to welcome you, too.<\/p>\n