Notations Sisterhood

For those of you who don't know I'm part of a performing group called Notations. The group has been around 20 years or so. It's a group of 9 singers & one fabulous pianist. I got into it 3 years ago through my sister Jennifer, who is also in the group, when they were needing to fill a soprano spot. At first I struggled. There was so much to learn, & I felt like I would never measure up to the shoes I was there to fill. It has turned out to not only be a great opportunity for me to sing & perform again, but also a great learning experience for me. My sister Jennifer is the closest person in age to me, & she is 8 years older than I, has 4 kids, & and had lived a whole life already compared to me. Many of the women in the group have children my age or older, and lots of grandchildren. At first I thought this would make it hard for me to fit in, but I soon learned that, to them, it didn't matter. Now I understand that the group is so much more than a performing group. It is a wonderful bond of sisterhood where we share so much. We spend lots of time talking about the joys & sorrows in our lives, & loving & sharing those moments with each other as well as supporting each through many difficult experiences that have come our way. It's a wonderful group of women who are not only talented in music, but in service & love & following the Spirit. I have learned so much from their examples & am so grateful for them. Below is a picture of us performing last year in one of our Christmas shows. (from left to right: me, Judy Ethington, Kristi Sherwood Crum, Celeste Dana, Julie Petersen, Shelly Adams, Jennifer Pearce, Yvonne Turley, & our miraculous pianist Patsy Baker)As a group we are now going through a difficult challenge of loosing one of our own. Our sweet Krisit Sherwood Crum passed away last week after battling with lung cancer. I will surely miss her service, her sweet surprises, and her eternal optimism. Though she hasn't been able to perform with us this past year because of her treatments, she has always had a spot in our group. We prayed for her together weekly at rehearsal, faster for her, I had sick kids, but the others went & cleaned her house for her, & we were always happily surprised when she stopped by rehearsal feeling up for a visit. My most memorable moment with this group happened last Tuesday. Kristi had taken a very fast turn for the worst. She had had a brain bleed & had been put in a hospice center. As a group we decided that, although Kristi wasn't responsive, we should spend our first hour of rehearsal singing for her. We knew that she would love it & would be singing if she could. It was such a spiritual time. As we gathered together in this sisterhood we shared there was so much love. We talked about our sweet friend & even learned about new surprises she had been planning for us. We sang hymns about love & sisterhood & the love of our Savior. Then we sang a beautiful song that Kristi wrote about the Savior & finished with God Be With You Til We Meet Again. Then we each took a moment to whisper our individual goodbyes to Kristi & tell her we loved her. It was such a wonderful experience. I felt the Spirit so strongly. I knew that Krisit knew we were there & was happy to sing together again if only in her heart. The next night Krisit passed through the veil & was reunited with her husband Phil where I'm sure they are watching over their children together again. I'm so grateful for the knowledge of the eternal plan of happiness. Though I am sad to have Kristi leave us at this time, I know the Lord has work for her to do on the other side, & I know I will get to sing with her again. I am so grateful for this wonderful sisterhood that I have been blessed to be a part of.