Beautiful Sunday

I haven't been to church here in the city since moving up. My faith and spirituality are very important to me but sadly I've definitely felt that area of my life lacking lately. I really haven't devoted much time or energy to that recently and I do notice a difference. It's about time I change that. My roommate Julie sings in the choir at Calvary Church , and invited me to the service this morning (she's got a BEAUTIFUL voice). I was so happy to go.

Calvary Church

I sat down in a pew by myself and was later joined by an older couple. The music began and immediately my heart felt full. The sermon was really great. It's the music that always speaks to me and boy, Calvary had very vocal music. They have combination of the older hymns, a beautiful organ, guitar, stand up bass, trumpet and drums. Breathtaking, especially with the acoustics in there. You could hear every single note and feel all the emotion.

Sometimes church music is really hard for me to hear. My grandmother played and sang the hymns so incredibly beautifully, with so much vigor and emotion. Through the music I feel so connected to her. It's a little different though. I feel so connected to her but feel such emptiness and miss her so much at those times. Maybe emptiness isn't the word. I just miss her even more. Today was a tough one because the music was so gorgeous. She would have loved it. I wish I could have shared it with her today with her sitting next to me, but I know she was there in spirit. With that music, there's no way she wasn't. I got teary eyed during one song and held it back but later on I couldn't keep it in anymore and let a few tears out. It felt good. I thought about how much she'd love it and smiled.

After the service, the couple in my pew introduced themselves to me. Joy and Ian are originally from New Zealand but have been in the United States for many years now. They were so incredibly welcoming and we ended up talking for quite awhile. Joy asked what I was doing in New York and I explained about my grad program. She was quiet for a moment and then looked me directly in the eye and said "You are going to be so wonderful in that field. It's exactly what you're meant to do. That may sound strange since we just met, but I can tell by your energy and the way you present youself. You're going to be great." WOW. Hearing that from someone I just met meant so much to me. She spoke so genuinely. I felt it in my heart and believed it. I'm really looking forward to talking with her again.

Since it was such a gorgeous Sunday - bright and sunny, a big difference from the recent rain and snow - I decided to walk home. The church is only a few blocks up from Union Square so it was about a 35/40 minute walk. The fresh(ish... it is the city, afterall) air, the sun shining and my soul rejuvenated, I couldn't help but smile. Just what I needed.