Getting back to regular rehearsals and performance schedules is great, right?! We have a schedule of regular events (annual) and I expect several requests to come in this fall for our chorus. The work is more than just a diversion for me; I often refer to it as my therapy. My thoughts regarding the work for the Association are very similar, but maybe that's just me.

     This Association needs some leaders to work at the many tasks we desire to accomplish in the near future. I am trying to make contacts with each chorus this fall to communicate directly about what we need help with, and hopefully get some assistance. Before you go making excuses, please consider some of these wise quotes:

1. "Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein." - H. Jackson Brown - I like this one, it is so obvious but we often overlook that because we don't think we can take a moment to breathe in the wonders around us.

2. "Do just once what others say you can't do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again." - James R. Cook - We can easily feel lesser from others comments, but often it is they who are smaller and wish to make us look the same, too.

3. "The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." - Vincent T. Lombardi - I thought you could appreciate this, right at the front of football season, and remember this coach was a great motivational speaker.

     You've probably heard that if everyone sits back in the rockin' chair there aint much getting done 'sept jawin'! Well, we are approaching such a sad state unless we correct the situation soon. I give credit to the men of Eau Claire for their work toward a Big Sing event. There is much promise in this action and we should all respond to it positively. I also give kudos to men like John Robert for taking the initiative to work on something he feels is strongly needed by our choruses. So I recognize that we have leaders showing up with sleeves rolled back and ready to sweat. The problem is that a group as large as AMCA should have more of them on tap!

     So what are you waiting for anyway? Remember the line in The Music Man that says, "If you keep piling up tomorrows, you're going to have a hell of a collection of empty yesterdays." (Meredith Wilson)

     After returning from a trip to Vermont recently (leaf-peeping), I started catching up on the local papers delivered while we were away. One of my favorite comic strips is TIGER. The strip for Friday the 28th of September, 2007, shows Tiger and Hugo at play, using a mocked up "airplane" with skateboard base, attached wings and a wagon handle to steer.

• In the first frame, Tiger calls to Hugo, "Okay, Hugo, start the engines!"
• The second frame, Hugo responds to Tiger, "Is this a jet or a prop-driven?", and Tiger asks, "What difference does it make?"
• In the last frame Hugo states, "A lot of difference in what noise I make!"

     The scenery was not what it had been in the past on our trip; the dryness across the country this summer took its toll in the mountains as well. The folks were still great to meet end greet, the things to do were still ongoing and we enjoyed ourselves every bit as much as the past. Next year can change much for the better. I get that same sense of potential for the Association - we can be better next year. Let's all join in on doing some maintenance work.

Send An Email
Feedback Post your comments Two email contacts	Best regards Ric Addenbrooke