Cymbals at Morning Prayer

Cymbals and Morning Prayer

“Praise him with clanging cymbals;
   praise him with loud clashing cymbals!”—Psalm 150:5.

I frequently read Morning Prayer online from The Daily Office  https://dailyoffice.wordpress.com/, posted presently by Fr. Tom Roy. Josh Taylor, the founder of the site in 2004, called it “not a website, but a community” because an interactive Morning Prayer is offered during the week online and as a webcast at 7:00 and 9:00 in the mornings. There is also a video Evensong every Friday night at 9:00. I am drawn to the website because of the ease of reading Morning Prayer, according to The Book of Common Prayer.

I look forward to the artwork, the music, and the short, related discussions Josh and the staff bring to the Daily Office.

One morning, Josh included some information about cymbals in worship, referencing this article in the New York Times by Lara Pellegrinelli with this photograph by Kayana Szymczak:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/03/arts/music/zildjian-cymbals-400-years. 

For over 400 years, an Armenian family has been manufacturing what is considered the world’s best cymbal, called Zildjian, which means in Armenian, “son of the cymbal maker.” The family first developed the cymbal for the Sultan of Turkey but moved the business to Massachusetts just before the Armenian genocide. The cymbals are made from a carefully guarded family secret alloy of tin, copper, and silver. Today, the company is led by its fourteenth generation of cymbal makers and the first female CEO, Craigne Zildjian.

Sometimes, we have cymbals in our resurrection Easter worship, but we more often see them used in bands and at the symphony. Interestingly, no two cymbals are precisely alike.

Today, I learned about an instrument we so often see and hear but take for granted, and one we would typically not consider captivating unless we were drummers or percussionists. I learned that this powerful instrument came alive 400 years ago when an Armenian artisan convinced a Sultan that the cymbal would be a powerful instrument to mark the rhythmic cycles each morning before prayer and every evening after prayer.

Next time I am at the symphony, I will pay more attention to the cymbal player and give thanks for this Armenian family that has made a difference in so many of our lives. 

The Zildjian family story is only one of so many powerful stories about immigrants coming to this country seeking a new life who have enriched all our lives in ways we most often take for granted.

Joanna. https://www.joannaseibert.com/

 

 

 

We can never get it all done!

Getting It Done

 “You never get it all done.” Betsy Singleton Snyder, Stepping on Cheerios.

Methodist minister, mother of four boys, including triplets, and wife of a then member of Congress tells us what it is like to stay connected to God amid daily chaos. Betsy’s other favorite suggestions in Stepping on Cheerios are you “take sorta kinda breaks,” “have a family movie night as a spiritual practice, be just yourself and nothing else, nurture something with your kids, do less comparing, and stop more.” “God made bossy moms” and “everyone screws up” are two other examples of her wisdom that resonated with me.

One of the parts of Betsy’s book I treasured is what she calls “The Squad.” She gives an extensive list and description of people who helped her, especially after she had a serious medical complication of pregnancy and times when her husband, Victor, was in Washington or meeting with his constituents at home.

Betsy and her family are a significant example of what living in a community is like. Not all of us will have triplets, but all will at some time need the support and love of a community, as Betsy found. It makes all the difference as we receive help until we can again help others. We become more open to seeing the love of Christ in our neighbor who reaches out to us. We, in turn, learn from our neighbor more about the Christ in ourselves, who guides us to that life-giving and sacred place of gratitude.

Gratefulness is a significant theme of Betsy’s book. She sees lessons in a multitude of challenging situations presented to her and always moves out of them with gratitude. Gratitude for those who help her, appreciation for the lessons she has learned, and gratitude for the love of God shown to her family by so many. Her last chapter is titled “My Cup Runneth Over,” as she thanks so many for making her dreams come true.

Joanna joannaseibert.com  https://www.joannaseibert.com/

Growing Older

Charleston: Growing Older

“In many ways growing older is learning how to let go. We begin life with the illusion of our ownership of everything around us, but somewhere along the line, most of us realize how fleeting our time of possession is. We have. We hold. But at some point, we must let go. The bitter-sweet taste of parting, I could not ignore it any more than I could ignore the sound of weeping.

And so I entrust all of my memories to the Spirit, to keep for me until they can be returned to me: in another time and another place, where letting go is no longer a need, where the sound of weeping is never heard, and where what is truly worth holding on to is received without the fear of loss.”—Steven Charleston Facebook Page.

dear friends whose love for each other and others lives on

Bishop Charleston brings a comforting message that the memories, all those names we cannot remember, may return in our life beyond death. He also offers the possibility that the names and memories we have lost may not be necessary for life with the God of love. Both options bring hope. There also may be so many other possibilities we cannot even imagine.

 Bishop Charleston continues to remind us that we believe in a God of love who stays with us, beside us, weeps with us, and holds us in the palm of his hand through our joys but also in all the sorrows we encounter. What we have lost, we will again find. But, on the other hand, we may learn that it is no longer critical.

My dreams help me understand this. I have many physical disabilities. I need a walker now to get around. In my dreams, however, I can walk without difficulty. Even sometimes, I can fly! Mainly, in my dreams, I am whole. In our life after death, I believe we become whole. I do not know what form we will take, but what matters is that our God still cares for us no matter what that form takes.

honoring those who taught us about love