Submitted by Sylvia Allen.
Ours is a military family and like most military families, we moved many times over our combined 40 years of activity duty and civilian careers. And as most military families will tell you, some moves are definitely easier than others. Our move to Washington in 1983 was a particularly bad one: couldn’t sell the house we left behind, couldn’t afford a new house with interest rates at 15%, I hadn’t found a job yet, and was couped up all day in a dingy apartment with 2 little children whose toys were in storage – you get the picture.
As Christmas rolled around, I was particularly down in the dumps. The world looked pretty bleak and cheerless to me that holiday season. Then I just happened to see or hear an ad, I don’t remember which, for the Sing Along Messiah at Christ Lutheran Church. I had studied music in high school and college and had sung and played sections of the Messiah many times, but had never performed the entire work. I was a little hesitant because I was pretty rusty and wasn’t sure how proficient they expected a singer to be, but I mustered up the courage and gave it a try.
Within minutes of the first notes, I was totally immersed in the familiar, beautiful music telling the story of Christmas, and my spirits began to lift. With each wonderful song – “Comfort Ye My People”, “For Unto Us A Child Is Born”, “He Shall Feed His Flock”, my dark mood slowly turned to one of hope and finally joy. When we reach the “Hallelujah Chorus” I was singing at the top of my lungs, both from joy and because I am a soprano and that is the only way I can hit those high notes any more. With the final “Amen” we all cheered for ourselves, shouted Merry Christmas, and hugged our fellow singers, whether we knew them or not. It was an exhilarating, life-changing experience that I will never forget.
I have enjoyed singing the Messiah many times, but it never meant as much to me as that day in 1983. Christ Lutheran Church continues to host this wonderful event at no charge as a gift to the community. It certainly was a gift to me that year and I hope that it brings others as much joy as I found. Please join us on December 8, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. at 8211 112th St. SW, Lakewood, WA. No experience needed.