A perfect arrangement of happiness

I love music

I love music... different genres, from different countries, in different languages, with different rhythms and instruments... I use music for various purposes: to clean, to do chores, to get ready, to write my blog, to sing, to dance, to chill, to study, to relax, to exercise and do sports (those who were at the volleyball night at FHE a couple of weeks ago probably noticed that as I was singing and dancing Latin songs when I was playing to give my team more motivation haha), to cook, to [try to] play it... Music is a big part of my life! Music is powerful!

What I like the most to do with music, is to perform it! I might not be a super talented musician, and my feet dance with music better than my vocal chords and my fingers sing or play it, but still. I know to read music, I can play [really slowly] the piano, and try to play guitar, and would like to learn to play more instruments. And I love too sing! I feel that music is such a great gift to share with others, that, even if I'm not an expert, I want to do my part to bring the joy that it brings. And the kind of music that I love the most to perform to bring peace and to uplift others, is LDS music. That's why I've always loved to be in choirs.

In Montreal as in Arizona I had numerous wonderful and uplifting experiences as I've being singing or conducting choirs. Music makes me happy!

Choir experiences

Our combined Montreal YSA branches Christmas
choir at a metro station

I remember our YM/YW choir in my Hispanic ward... we would just listen to a cassette of a Janice Kapp Perry song in Spanish and learn the song and sing it... that was our kind of choirs! Ha! Good memories though! We were not musical prodigies, but the lyrics strengthened us and it was a great bonding activity for the youth. I enjoyed to be in choirs in Montreal! In my previous YSA branch in Montreal we needed to beg people to come to choir because they were not musicians. Many were good dancers though, or were good in sports, and we were all multilingual... I mean, we had other talents and skills, but only a few had a deep knowledge about music, and I am grateful that those who didn't still accepted the invitation to come to choir and to have an uplifting experience with what they could offer. That is wonderful about LDS music (and many things in the Church, as giving talks or lessons and missionary work): when we do it with a desire to serve, giving our best, and with the Spirit, it touches the heart of people, even if we are not professionals.

So I was used to simple and basic musical arrangements for our choirs. And then I came to Arizona, where many have so much knowledge about music that I felt as a musical ignorant next to them. Obviously, that couldn't stop me! I love music too much, so I just took the challenge and I did my best to sing with them in the choirs that I've joined in my stake, ward, institute, and other special choirs where I've been singing since I moved here.

AZ YSA Regional conference choir at Gammage

Have I done any good? Or I should say: can I do any good as I sing this song?

Some weeks ago, in my ward choir, we started to practice an arrangement of the beautiful hymn "Have I done any good?", made by the incredible Sam Fleming, a talented and almost famous musician from my YSA ward. I love his arrangements! The first time I look at the music sheet I was impressed... and of course wondering how this brown girl from Montreal would be able to sing that! I remember that the first time we practiced that song, I was looking forward to finish the practice because I was struggling with it... I not only had to become familiar with the alto part, I had to become familiar with the lyrics in English too... I knew that song only in Spanish! It was so fast,and reading my notes and the lyrics at same time required a lot of concentration! I knew after that first practice that it would be a great challenge... but at same time, I was so excited to sing it for our ward! I knew it would be hard... at least for me! But I knew it would be worth it, and I didn't hesitate to go back to our choir practices for the next weeks!

The plan of a challenging happiness

That Sunday, after that first practice, in relief society, we had a lesson about the plan of salvation. We talked about the council in heaven, where Heavenly Father presented his plan. We knew we would need to leave His presence, that we would have struggles, trials, sufferings, pains, challenges. But we knew that it would be worth it and that after living that challenge, if we do good and we receive the atonement of Jesus Christ in our lives, we would be able to return to his presence and live with him forever. When we heard about that plan, we accepted it, and the scriptures says that we SHOUTED OF JOY! We knew that it would be hard and it would require from us to make a lot of efforts, to learn new things, and to have difficult experiences, but WE WERE EXCITED ABOUT IT! And then it hit me! It was exactly what was happening with that musical arrangement! I knew that it would be a challenge for what I was used to! I knew it would be hard for me, that I would need to learn the lyrics of that hymn in English, to be able to sing them fast, to learn my notes. As I said before, I wanted to finish the first practice quickly because I was struggling a little with it... But I knew that I wanted to keep going to the practices and to sing it, which I did! Challenges are exciting, don't you think?

The Ville-Marie ward missionaries graffiti version of the Plan of Salvation on a graffiti wall next to my  house.

In a choir, we are not left alone

Sam's arrangement was amazing! And I was not left alone to sing it! I had a devoted choir director, Andrew Payne, who taught us that song with so much patience, dedication and happiness, even if he was sick and almost losing his voice, he was faithfully there, willing to help us, to make us practice the parts which we were struggling the most, to encourage us and to tell us when we were doing good. Jake Packer, another good musician, helped us too when Andrew, because of his sore throat, wasn't able to do it, even if he was there to tell Jake how to help us. I had a good pianist... Sam... who knew what he was playing because, well, it was HIS arrangement! If we were paying attention to Andrew and listening to the notes that Sam was playing, and following the music sheets, we were able to learn our parts and to know how to make it. It was important to look at the director to sing all together, in harmony. And of course I had each member of the choir. It was impossible to make of that music a success without the voices of each member of our choir! Each soprano, each alto, each tenor and each base made it become what it had to become. Each voice made a difference. Each voice had a part to play in that song. Each time that someone else came in the room and joined us to sing, we were feeling so much happiness, because it meant that someone else would be there to sing with us, to make it sound better, and even to help us to sing correctly (at least is how I was feeling when other altos came; I didn't feel alone, I felt more confident, knowing that I would have someone else to sing by my side, and that if I made a mistake, the other one would help to hide it, or if I needed to breathe, that would be someone else who would be singing our part for the second that I would be breathing, and just to feel support as we were singing our part). It's so much better when we are not alone!

Life is the same! It's challenging... but so exciting! And we knew it before we came, but WE WANTED TO BE PART OF THAT, we accepted the challenge! Sometimes we get discouraged and it's so hard that we look forward to the end of it, but life is so good and we have so many opportunities and experiences to learn and grow that it is important to live every second of it and to take those opportunities, instead of trying to "skip the practices". It is a test, and we can get so much from it!

The perfect composer and his perfect arrangement

A loving Heavenly Father created this plan, this "arrangement", because He is wise, and he knows that is the best for us! He knows how great could be the result! His plan is perfect... we just have to join it and to play our part! He wrote his own music sheets, the scriptures, inspired to his prophets, and if we read them, we can learn more of that plan. We sometimes need to write some notes on our sheets as reminders of what or how we need to sing in life. But we need to use it, to follow it, and to remember those things that would help us to sing our part well.

The perfect director and his faithful servants

And we are not left alone in this experience! We have a devoted Savior who, with so much patience, devotion and happiness, is there to lead us, to teach us, to show us how to "sing", how to live, to tell us which parts of the song of our life we need to practice a little more to get it perfectly. Even at the hardest time of His life, in the Gethsemane, "sick and almost losing his voice", He was faithfully there for us, sacrificing himself for us! And we have a prophet, and church leaders, who represent the Savior, who do those things for us and help us to know how to deal with life and how to get those notes to sing well that arrangement! They will tell us what to do with the music sheets, they will explain us how to understand it and they will encourage us to learn to read it, to study it, and to apply the teachings from the scriptures, our music sheets, to be able to sing it well.

The perfect pianist

We have also the Holy Ghost, who is united with the Father and the Son, who knows the plan, he knows the arrangement, and is there, playing his piano, playing every note, to guide us in the right direction. As we pay attention to the director and we listen carefully to the notes that the Holy Ghost plays for us, it becomes easier to learn our parts and to know what to do in every part of our life musical arrangement, and we will make it sound better.

A great choir partnership

And, fortunately, we have our family, our friends, and all those who touch our life for good every day! We are all together in the greatest choir that could exist, and is called life! With our differences, we can all sing the different parts! Every time that someone joins our worldwide choir, we feel happy because we know of the joy that we can feel when we sing this life arrangement, and we want all of our Heavenly Father's children to live that challenging but joyful experience! I'm always telling people to join our ward choir, to embark in that marvelous experience, because I know that it really is a marvelous experience! And life is a marvelous experience too! This is His work and His glory!

Finding joy out of my comfort zone

My previous YSA branch choir, in Montreal,
Quebec (at the same place were we used to
sing with YW/YM more than 10 years ago...)

In Montreal or in Gilbert, I've never been forced to attend choir. I went because I love it! But when the arrangements were to difficult for me, I could have decided to be discouraged and to say that I was not used to it, that I don't know as much about music as other members of the choir do, and to quit the choir, at least for that song. I could have decided to just settle to sing the melody of the hymns I know as a congregation, and maybe to sing the alto part if it wasn't too complicated. But how would I grow and develop my talents if I stay on my comfort zone with that kind of excuses? Isn't the same with life? We can find so many excuses to settle for less that what we have the potential to do or to get. We can get discouraged when life is hard and seems too much for what we are used too. We can give up and not try anymore to find happiness. But remember, WE SHOUTED OF JOY! WE KNEW THE PLAN AND WE ACCEPT IT! BECAUSE WE KNEW IT WOULD BE WORTH IT!

It was worth it!

Three weeks ago we sang that song in our ward! I heard many good comments about it! The Spirit was felt, and it was a good reminder to everyone (members of our ward, visitors, and even us, members of the choir) to do good every day, to serve others, to go to bed every night with a feeling of accomplishment because we had serve someone that day. The challenge was accepted with joy! And the challenge was accomplished with joy! Give me more complicated songs to sing, I will do it! Now, after that experience, I know that I can do it! And that the practices and effort were worth it!

Let's trust in our Heavenly Father's life arrangement, or plan, with the knowledge that we knew it would be hard and a challenge, but that we accepted that plan with joy. Let's follow and pay attention to the teachings, example and directions of our director, our Savior Jesus-Christ, and his servants. Let's listen carefully to the notes that the Holy Ghost plays for us to guide us in the good direction to sing our part. I know that as we do this, we will be able not only to sing well our part of "Have I done any good?", but we will be able, as challenging as it could be, to do good in the world today, and every day of our life, and we will do it with joy! And all these effort will worth it, because they would help us "to live with Him someday"!

I am grateful for this challenging but perfect plan of happiness, and I shout of joy because I know is worth it!

Can you understand why I love wholesome and uplifting music so much? :) Yes, definitely, choir practices are a cherry on my Sundays!

Where can I turn for peace? The power of sacred music... to be in the world but not of it!

I live with a family who is not active in the church anymore, and although they live good principles and are honorable people and respect the fact that I love to live the Gospel that they once used to live, they don't live exactly the same standards that I do or as I do. As every Sunday morning, I was listening this morning to Mormon channel in my room while I was enjoying my regular Sunday morning activities as studying the gospel and writing about it. I love uplifting music; it fills me with deep emotions that bring peace to my heart and make me feel closer to my Savior.

I then went to the bathroom to get ready for church, so I opened my door, and BOUM, I heard that loud rock music! I entered the bathroom quickly and closed the door, but I still could hear some of the music. At that moment I could have just get frustrated and complain because my roommates don't understand how important the Sabbath is to me; or I could just have say to myself: "well, it's a good song, I should just enjoy it, I'm not doing anything bad, it's not my fault if they are listening to it right now, and it's their house, I can't tell them what to do". But I decided not to pay attention to it, and to just get ready as I had planned to do, and to ponder about the songs that I had previously listen on Mormon channel, so I just start to sing them and to ponder about it... I was thinking so deeply about it that I noticed I couldn't even hear the rock music that was playing downstairs anymore.

I had just heard a beautiful arrangement of "Where can I turn for peace?" and as I was pondering about that hymn, I noticed that at that same moment, I was looking for peace. I wasn't living a hard time, my morning had been wonderfully uplifting, I wasn't drawing myself apart with a wounded heart, anger or malice; my aching wasn't growing, I wasn't languish... I mean, I was feeling good all morning, I was already feeling peace! But then, I heard that loud music. It wasn't bad music. But it wasn't the best song to draw me close to my Savior. And instead of letting that ruin my Sabbath morning, I just turned to my Savior for peace, I turned to his teachings and his words shared through the sacred music I had been listening to on Mormon channel.

I was pondering about that and I thought about "being in the world but not of the world" and also about "stay ye in holy places"; and I noticed how sacred music can help us towards that goal. It doesn't matter how surrounded we are with things of the world, it is OUR decision to do the right things and to have peace in our hearts. It doesn't means that we have to go to unholy places and put our spirits in danger. But we still need to live in this world, to be surrounded by things that are not necessarily bad, but, if we partake to much of it or give them more importance than our God, it could lead us to a wrong path and make us being less sensitive to the Spirit. It is so important to have the Holy Ghost in our lives to make right choices and to be where the Lord wants us to be and do what he wants us to do, and sacred music can help us with that; it invites the Spirit, no doubt about that! I noticed how important it is for me to decide which things I will do every day to keep that Spirit in my life and to make of my world a sacred place. As the saying says: "you can't change THE world but you can change YOUR world". And is what I was doing this morning: my roommates can listen all the kind of musics they want any day, even on Sundays, I can't have control on that! But I have control on what I want to listen, and what I want to do! So I will make of my room a sacred place, inside I will listen to inspired music and I will ponder about the Lord and I will pray and I will ponder about ways to follow his example every day. It is MY duty to make of MY Sunday a Holy day. I can't control other's life, but where I have the control at, in my room, in my home with my future family, and any other situations where I can have an influence in those around me, I will keep the Sabbath day and help others to feel that same Spirit. I will turn to the Lord for peace and I will make of my day and the day of others a better day.

It was interesting that I was later trying to decide which Sunday School class I should go at church, and I felt as I should attend the Doctrines of the Gospel class, so I went there. And the topic was "Living righteously in a Wicked world". I remembered that when I had seen that topic a few weeks ago, I had told to myself that I wanted to attend that class, so I was glad I went even if I didn't knew that it was the lesson for today. As I was listening to that lesson, my thoughts went back to the experience I had that morning and how, yes, we need to be careful of where we go, but we need also to find ways to live the gospel in our daily lives, no matter where it is. It made me ponder about how I grew up in Quebec, a place where the church is not as big as here in Arizona. Yes, many things were different, and people's perception about religion is often not the best, but that didn't stopped me to believe and to live my standards. Now I am in Arizona, the church is more present, but it doesn't mean that I'm saved and that I don't need to do any effort to live the gospel daily. I am actually grateful to live with a family who knows a lot about the church, who respect it but who doesn't live it as I do, because that gives me more motivation to live the gospel daily and to be an example. They won't force me to go to church every Sunday, they won't remind me to do my visiting teaching, they won't even think about praying to bless the food or before leaving home as I use to do with my family in Montreal, they don't have a family home evening, they won't tell me to go to the temple and they are not watching me to be sure they I study my scriptures every morning. But these are things that I am doing by myself because I want to do it and to live them! That is what is important, that no matter our situation, we still live the gospel everyday, no because someone is forcing us to do it, but because we love the Lord and we want to follow him and to be an example of the believers. We can't change the world, but we can't change OUR world. I invite you to learn more about making of our world a holy place, or standing in holy places, in this talk, Your Holy Places, by sister Dibbs at the last Young Women general conference.

When I went back to my room after that experience this morning, Mormon channel was still playing and I finished to get ready while listening to it. As each time I listen to it, I was feeling so good! I was feeling peace! And this time it was even more meaningful to me because I realized how powerful sacred music is to help us to remember the Savior and to keep a good attitude in any situation of our life. It really gives us strength and our desire to do good and to live the gospel increases when we listen to it and when we let our hearts be touched by those beautiful melodies. I was so grateful that I knelt in my room and offered a prayer of gratitude to my Heavenly Father for the wonderful sacred music and for how it helps my Sundays to be a better day! And that experience definitely helped me to have a better Sabbath. I got to church happy and with a desire to grow and to praise the Lord. I had other toppings on my Sunday today, which I will probably write about later in other posts, but because of that experience and the wonderful feeling that sacred and inspired music brought to me this morning, my spirit was ready to partake of the sacrament and renew my covenants, to serve those who needed my help in different ways in my ward today, and to be uplifted by marvelous testimonies that were shared by the wonderful members from my ward.

So, if there is a Sunday where you are seeking for ways to be uplifted and to feel the presence of the Spirit, or any other day of the week, and you are asking yourself: "Where can I turn for peace?". Let me give you a suggestion: In sacred music! Listen to Mormon Channel, a delicious topping that I put weekly on my Sunday! ;)

Two delicious cherries on the top on the same glorious Sunday: the House of the Lord and the Prophet of the Lord

Won't you like to get two cherries or extra topping on your sundae? Well, that's what happened to me today! I got two of the best cherries or toppings ever on the top of my Sunday, and I still pinching myself to be sure that this is not a dream!

So today is the Gilbert Temple dedication. I was looking forward for that moment since the first time I saw the land where the temple is now build. When I learned that the dedication was scheduled for the time when I would be already here, I was feeling already really blessed and excited. I won't share all the experiences I had since then with this temple, because I have another blog about my temple adventures. Here I just want to share how this temple and the prophet, had been my topping on my Sunday in this glorious Sabbath day.

I had plan to attend the dedication from a stake center, as the majority of the members of the temple district, and that was enough for me! I knew that president Monson would be there, but to know that he would be close to where I live was already a great blessing, so I wasn't dissapointed to know that I would had to watch it in a stake center instead of the temple. I had already attend the Montreal temple dedication almost 14 years ago so it was ok that others would get that opportunity here. I was feeling so much joy, and I was happy to know that I would witness that event, even if it was a couple of miles away from where it would be happening. It would be the peanuts on my Sunday.

And then, I was offered the opportunity to help at the temple the morning of the dedication, and my "reward" for volunteering was to attend the dedication INSIDE the temple! I looked calm but inside I was shouting of joy!!!! How me, a young woman from Montreal who moved here only a few months ago is getting this opportunity?!?! That was so much better that what I thought! And of course, I accepted the offer! Yay, it was the chocolate syrup that I already knew I would have on my Sunday. It was going to be delicious!

So this morning when I woke up, my first thought was: "today is the day! This is going to be one of the most glorious Sabbath I could ever imagine!" I had a big smile on my face, thinking about how yummy my Sunday was going to be! 

So I got ready, and before the sun showed up, I walked to the temple and helped. I was putting shoe coverings on those who were coming inside the temple. I will share some thoughts about it that wonderful experience on my temple blog later, but it was an amazing opportunity to serve. I was at the main entrance, and from there I had a view of the choir for the cornerstone ceremony, and I was able to hear them singing. I also saw president Eyring coming in, as president Lesueur and his wife (the temple president and matron), elder Callister, and all those who were going to the celestial room for the morning session. What a blessing! Yes, it was like some strawberries, bananas, pinneapple and mangos on my Sunday! So good!!

And then someone special got there: the prophet of God, Thomas S. Monson! We had been told to let him walked in without trying to shake his hand, get a picture, or things like that, unless he takes the initiative to do it. Come on, it was the prophet of the Lord, we had to behave! So those who were there with me we were standing, and looking with reverence to this amazing men. I was so close to him! oh yeah! It was my extra chocolate pieces on my Sunday (I love chocolate... just saying...).

And then, it happened: he stretched his hand to shake the hand of the first person in line... when I saw that I thought: is he really doing it? Would he really shake our hands? Would he really shake MY hand? I saw him coming closer, shaking the hands of the others, until he got in front on me, and shook MY hand! Touching the hand of this man that I admire and love so much was so humbling! I could feel the deep love he has for each of God's children. But the most amazing thing was that I knew he was a prophet of God. And I didn't knew it because I shook his hand! I knew it before that happened, I knew it since he was called as a prophet, and that knowledge had become stronger as I've been learning more about his life and his teachings. If I hadn't shook his hand that wouldn't change anything to that testimony I have of the prophet of God, I would still believe that he is the prophet of God. I didn't shook his hand to know if he was a prophet of God and to perhaps decide to follow his teachings if he really was so. No! I shook his hand because, well, he decided to do it, and the excitement I got wasn't because I need to do it to believe in him, or because he was the most "famous" person for LDS people, but because I already knew who he is, and because I love him, and who doesn't like to shake the hand, or hug or just be close to someone we love? It was a sweet experience though, and it was cherry that made me feel grateful for the prophet and for the testimony I have that he is there to watch over the saints and to teach us the teachings from the Lord for our days.

After that, we went inside and waited for the dedication to begin. The feeling was so special! We saw the cornerstone ceremony. It was so sweet to see how the prophet was looking with amazement at the choir. He is so cute! He really loves the saints and if he could, he would shake the hand of every single person in the world and tell them something nice about them. He would really be that kind of person! The music was beautiful too, outside and inside the temple. Definitely they were as a manifestation of angels! The talks that were given inspired me and made me feel so desirous to keep being part of the blessings of the Gilbert Temple. Many of the thoughts that were shared were things that I had been pondering about this past week as I was preparing for the dedication. I don't want to talk to much about it, because I'm keeping it for my temple blog, but this was the best of my Sunday! I got to listen to the dedicatory prayer. I got to wave my handkerchief of joy because of that great event! When I did that, a warm and strong feeling filled my complete soul! I left the temple with a feeling of joy! I'm not there anymore, but I still feel as in heaven! 

Today was a different Sunday than usual! I didn't had the usuals church meetings. We didn't had a sacrament meeting. I didn't even took the sacrament today, which usually is the most important part of the Sabbath day. But it felt like I did, because I was in a place where I remember my covenants. I was in a place where I ponder about my Savior and his atonement. Without the atonement, any ordinance that we make at the temple would be useful. Without the atonement, the sealing power would be vain. The temple is a testimony of Christ! The temple is there because of the atonement. The temple and the atonement are part of God's plan to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man! 

As I was listening to the dedication, I felt that desire to renew my covenants, the baptismal one as the ones I made at the temple, as I do every Sunday when I partake the sacrament. I want to give the best of myself to follow my Savior Jesus-Christ, to take his name upon me, to always remember him, to keep his commandments, that I would have his Spirit with me. He trusted me enough to allow me to get those cherries on my Sunday, and I want to show him that I will do what he expects from me, and I know that if I do this, I will see his blessings pouring over me like the tears of joy from heaven that were pouring over the 12000 youth during the cultural celebration last night. I'm already feeling it! I already see it! And I want to renew my promise to myself that I would be a temple-worthy member, attending the temple regularly, and that I would follow his prophet's voice! 

I got back home at 11 a.m.... usually at that time I would be getting ready for choir and church. But this Sunday that has started at 4:30 a.m. was already a glorious Sabbath at 11 a.m.! I was feeling as if I had ate a gallon of ice cream with so many good toppings... and two cherries! My soul is full!!! I'm satisfied! This is a glorious Sabbath! I love the temple! I love the prophet! I love the knowledge that my family can be together forever! And I love the Sabbath!