May the Lord Bless You and Keep You

This is the way that the Centenary College Choir says goodbye.

This is how I sign my emails, it's how I sign my letters, and it's how I'll sign my obituary.

I find it fitting to write this now, since the choir is in the midst of Rhapsody in View, our annual concert, and the 75th anniversary of the choir.

I have been in the Centenary College Choir for nearly three years now, and I can say with out a shadow of a doubt that it has been the most influential organization I've ever been apart of. The people I've met and the lessons I've learned will never leave me and will always be near and dear to my heart.

I've experienced traditions that I've helped carry on to the next generation of students, and secrets that I will keep locked away until the day I die. Not only that, but I've been exposed to a way of living, and a set of expectations and characteristics. Members of the choir are taught to put their best selves forward, in our own unique and valuable ways. You learn, through music, that each individual voice is important. You also learn that in order to make something come together, you must respect everyone else's voices and work as a group to get a desired outcome.

We as a choir already do something that very few people can do. We manage to take 50+ voices (in the case of Rhapsody, 300+ voices), and come together as one. We put aside our differences, and we make something glorious for all to hear. Not only is it taxing emotionally, but physically and mentally as well. Each rehearsal is building upon what we accomplished in the previous one. Each mistake we make effects the entire choir, and we all must individually strive for improvement.

The friends I have made in this organization are people I will never forget. Through them, I have learned how to solve issues without behaving childishly. I've learned to be happy for people, even when I am jealous. I've learned to trust and have patience and humility. But most importantly, I have learned to love someone unconditionally, even if I don't necessarily 'like' them at the time. The Centenary College Choir helped me find my best friends, just by chance. And I am so grateful. These friendships won't be fleeting. I will keep these people in my life forever.

Growing up, I never really had "best friends." I was picked on quite often because of my weight and since my parents moved relatively frequently, I didn't have a chance to settle down. I always felt out of place, and like I couldn't really be myself. I came into the choir not expecting the freedom and acceptance I received. I was convinced that this was just another group of people who would tolerate me, and that I would just be who others wanted me to be.

I know now that I am loved. We all care for each other in the Centenary College Choir. We may not be the best of friends, but there's a bond that we all share, and it's visible from a distance. People on campus joke and call us a cult. Maybe it's because they're jealous of the friendship we have. There's a special air about us. A mutual understanding of what is expected of us. Respect, support, and love. We aren't a cult, we are an institution.

An institution that has been building up for 75 years. While several things have changed over the time of the choir, several things remain true. We have our values and purposes, a knowledge of our history, a reverence for our alumni, and a joy for singing.

We are not the Centenary College Choir of 1941, but we still sing the same songs, we read the same handbook, and we have the same spirit. And for that, I am forever thankful.

May the Lord Bless You and Keep You.