SO VERY DIFFERENT...BUT SO ALIKE; HANGING OUT AT JUVENILE COURT 30 YEARS AGO

I'm sure you also remember people you met briefly...perhaps in an intense moment...and wonder where they are today.
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  About thirty years ago my women's circle from church went down to Juvenile Court to hold services...  about once a month for ten or more years. 
 I was around fifty on this particular day.

.

Usually I was assigned to the girls' lockup area where there were few inmates. But one day they were short on the boys' floor, so I went there to help out

We took a small keyboard; & while we were getting ready,  I looked up and saw on both sides hosts of teenage boys descending stairs. They walked with their hands behind them as instructed.

The meeting room was large and when full sort of an intimidating scene.

We had lots of singing; then a woman (who was about my age now)
gave a fiery talk to motivate them on to a better path. The boys seemed to love this grandmother figure.

Then she said, "If anyone would like for someone to pray with you, would you raise your hand; someone will come to you."

An African American who looked about 40 years old, big, strong, and very black...raised his hand. I remembered one of the policemen had warned us...not to get too close.

"Someone can grab you and hold you as a hostage!!!!!"

                                    FACSIMILE

I admit to being terrified. "D, duh, do you want someone to pray with you?" I stuttered.

He started sobbing. "I want you to pray that my momma will come down here to see me." 

So I took his hand, and we prayed....about his momma and other things too.

WHAT?? Who woulda thought...His MOMMA?!! 

Suddenly I could see that we were so different yet so alike!!!!.  I went to the boys' floor from then on and was never afraid again, and remembered the teenagers were in some ways...still children.
             ALL "precious in HIS sight!!!"

Yesterday during discussion time at Pastor's Bible class, I remembered this event and shared; on the way home I wondered if I had told it to bring attention to myself ?!  Hope not....not then, not now... 
Just sayin' with love, annie 

RED & YELLOW

BLACK  &   WHITE

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HANGING OUT WITH THE CHOIR AT WEDNESDAY NIGHT PRACTICE...LOVELY MUSIC BY BURYL RED!!

I so wish all of you could sneak into our Wednesday night choir practices at COLONIAL BAPTIST CHURH;          
                            
all of you, who have ever sung in choirs, know already what a bonding experience it is.  During the time you are singing, choir members feel so close. 


We have the extra pleasure of having a choir director, STEPHEN LEN WHITE, 

who keeps us laughing!!! 
                    also a bonding experience.

Tomorrow night (7/10/2013) will be a particularly lovely time, because we will work  on music by BURYL RED, to be sung next Sunday, July 14.
. 
                             "IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME."

                                        
Buryl Red, described by The Washington Post as "uncommonly creative", the musical work of Buryl Red as composer, conductor, producer, and arranger, may be experienced in such diverse venues as Carnegie Hall, Saturday Night Live, and thousands of schools, churches, and theaters around the world. His output includes more than sixteen hundred published compositions and arrangements, production of over 2500 recordings,< and the musical supervision, composition, and arranging for several hundred shows, documentaries, and musical specials for network and cable television. Several of his choral works including Celebrate Life and the first performing edition of Pergolesi's Magnificat are considered landmarks in their fields. He is the executive record producer for some of the most widely used music textbooks in the United States including the new Silver Burdett Making Music series. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Buryl Red is a graduate of the music schools of Baylor University and Yale University and now lives in New York City. (he died on April 3, 2013<)He has been honored with many civic and professional awards and degrees. He is particularly honored with the inclusion of his well-known song, "In Remembrance", in The African-American Heritage Hymnal published in 2001.

Our own Jamie Sinatra  plays the obligato part on his oboe...too beautiful to describe.

and as always, our genius on the piano...minus the glasses, haha... Sandy Murphree!! 

Needless to say rehearsal will be yet another another wonderful time for us. 

Just sayin' with love, annie

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CHUCK BOHANNON WILL RECITE "RAGGED OLD FLAG" at COLONIAL BAPTIST CHURCH (7/07)

(I wrote this two years ago for 4th service....annie)

Last night at choir practice, our director STEPHEN LEN WHITE, told us that the music part of July 7, Sunday morning service would be like a bookend to our CELEBRATE AMERICA PROGRAM last Sunday. 

We heard CHUCK BOHANNON (a fine singer and actor in our choir) recite RAGGED  OL' FLAG as a sneak preview to what we will hear at the 10:30 am service. It was so lovely and touching.
The choir will sing the patriotic sing-along as an encore from CELEBRATE AMERICA.

Here is Johnny Cash's rendering of RAGGED OLD FLAG>Our church loved the way Chuck did it!

RAGGED OLD FLAG is the 46th album by JOHNNY CASH released on Columbia Records in 1974

The album addresses several political as well as ethical issues. The title track is a spoken word tribute to patriotism.
.
Just sayin'.....annie in memphis

Now it is SUNDAY afternoon, after the morning service. July 7th. as expected CHUCK was wonderful!!! thought you would want to know. ab
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