Church music

T is going through a phase where any unexpected music is aversive. I had no idea just how often music pops up in our daily life until this phase, so it gets challenging. Just try listening to All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Prairie Home Companion (can you tell I'm an NPR geek?), or watch any recent news broadcast about the 5^th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina – there's always jazz in the background – or even this morning on CBS Sunday morning when they did a segment on a real show choir (ala "Glee")…all of these situations are met with a demand of "no music!", "no no music", and "be gentle with music!". The request/demand does not stop until it is met. What's odd is that he really does love listening to music – but it really has to be on his terms.

Except at church. Once we step into the sanctuary, he actually requests "Music", and will get quite insistent if there isn't any. He sits and listens to the organ play the prelude, watches the choir sing, sits and listens along during the hymns, much of the time smiling and happy. We might even get a joyful vocalization during an instrumental piece, as we did today during a piano duet during the Offertory. And while we frequently will need to ask him to use a quiet voice during the evening news broadcast so we can hear it, during church he is relatively quiet – and will lower his voice when reminded. Much of the pretty intense stimming (swinging his legs, flipping fingers, scripting) eases during the service, and there are moments that he sits quietly, looking at his surroundings. I know he's hearing the words and taking in the teachings.

While he sat quietly during the service today, I spent much of the time in absolute wonder of this child. I believe he is connected with God in a deep way that I am only beginning to understand. In fact, I'm beginning to believe that these children, these quiet, gentle & sensitive children, "get it" much more than we ever do.