Two nights ago, I from the safety of my own dining room, I attended Choir!ntine: Epic Social Distan-Sing-Along! The folks from Choir! Choir! Choir! decided that a sing-along was in order, so NINE THOUSAND people signed on and sang along with them for a little over an hour. It was what this girl needed. Because as much as mumbling along to Massive Attack and TSwift and The Northern Pikes is a good thing all day long, belting it out loud enough to make my gentleman associate abandon his TV ambitions for the evening was an even better thing.

I watched the comments flying by as I sang along and chairdanced to the Choir!ntine event. There are many people who participate in their own choirs, and those choir practices are now forbidden. There are many people with kids whose spring concerts have been cancelled. So we all got together and sang. One comment had a mom request we sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star so her 3 year old could participate. So nine thousand people obliged and a new C!C!C! fan blossomed right there in front of our eyes.

In times of trouble, when we’re all anxious because we’ve been watching too many news updates with dire messages, and we’re horrified that people are hoarding toilet paper and hand sanitizer and then jacking the price to resell them at extortion-calibre prices, we need something to distract us. And that’s where the music happens.

And the world knows it too. Balcony jam sessions abound:

In Italy:

In Barcelona:

Global (compilation):

So, we’re all facing social-distancing (at least, we all should be). But when we all sing Twinkle twinkle little star to a child, or we come together as neighbours and as a community to just provide a bit of cheer to each other without expecting anything in return, that’s what it’s all about.

Almost 10 years ago (srsly, has it been that long?), Jack Layton was dying and he wrote a letter that I won’t ever forget: “Love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful, and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.”

This is what that looks like. Know what the difference is between a stick and a flute? A stick is full of itself, and a flute is emptied out so that it can make music.

This Lent, may I be less full of myself so that my life is better able to share the music. Make me an instrument of Your peace.

Extra Credit:

On Saturday March 21st, C!C!C! will be hosting another Social Distan-sing event on their FB page. I encourage you all to attend. Post your own singing (or playing a musical instrument) with the hashtag #neverstopsinging. If you need a boost, watch what others have posted – that’s why they did it.

Stay healthy, friends.