This past summer My husband and I travelled through Ireland on a pilgrimage of our own creation.
One of the highlights for me happened in a small town called Feakle in County Clare. Gary and I were in town for the traditional music festival. Events happened at every conceivable venue in this rather small town and the Friday evening had several options on offer. We went to a small pub where a music session was promised. Nothing much seemed to be happening for quite some time, but then a man piped up from the far side of the room, saying he had a song. His song of fishermen and the sea started things rolling, and before long, we were going around the room with people offering a song or two for us all to enjoy. One man, as a way of introduing his song, recounted how at family gatherings his father insisted that everyone sing a song for the group. “It was part of being the family,” he said, “it didn't matter if you sang well or not, it was important to add your voice to the greater whole, to help build the relationships.”
As the night progressed, people sang from every corner of the room. I remember a young man who shook visibly as he sang and admitted that he had never sung publicly before, and a middle-aged woman who had a pure, sweet voice that lifted and lilted in the traditional Celtic way. I was startled a bit when the man who was quietly standing next to me started singing with no warning. Afterward, people whispered that he was a well-known traditional singer, and weren't we lucky that he chose to sing for us?
All of this made me think about the shape of community, and how we each contribute our small part to create the whole fabric of it. I love that it doesn't really matter what kind of song we sing or whether we think we have a great voice or not; each is important to be heard. Each of our voices is needed for the creation of something vital and alive.
Thanks to each of you for adding your voice to the mix in this community and beyond.
Blessings,
Shirley
I love that you're doing this, Shirley. How apropos that your first blog post is about adding your (my) song. Each person who comments adds their uniqueness, creating a beautiful tapestry of tones and melodies. We have so much to learn about sustainable communities. It's so wonderful that you are studying indigenous spiritualities and incorporating that understanding into your own voice. Our ancestors needed strong communities to survive. It is my hope we will rely on our viable connections in the places we live and work more and more. The more voices the more harmonies, the more fun is all I can say!
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