The all-women Threshold Choirs honor the ancient tradition of singing at the bedsides of people who are struggling: some with living, some with dying. The voice, as the original human instrument, is a true and gracious vehicle for compassion and comfort. The choirs provide opportunities for women to share the sacred gifts of their voices at life's thresholds.
When we are invited to a bedside, we visit in small groups. We invite families and caregivers to join us in song or to participate by listening. We choose songs to respond to musical taste, spiritual direction, and physical capacity. The songs may include rounds, chants, lullabies, hymns, spirituals, and choral music.
The service is our gift; there is no charge. We gratefully accept donations for our ongoing expenses.
December 2008 Here we are, approaching our 9th year of service. We have sung at thousands of bedsides, hundreds of memorials and services of remembrances and sent prayers to untold numbers of lives, prayers for healing, for grace, for comfort. Clearly this is the time for this work and we are honored to be doing it. Making kindness audible by responding to the undeniable signs we see as a group and that we feel one by one in our hearts seems to fit with the changes we are beginning to see in our culture. There are now 60 choirs across the country, 3 choirs in Canada and one just forming in Australia with more coalescing all the time. We are increasingly relying on the Internet and computer technologies to enhance our effectiveness and our feeling of community with the many voices engaging in this work. The lullabies we instinctively sing to newborn babies while cradling them in our arms are far more than just songs; they are our welcome to the newest members to the planet from our species, our human culture and our hearts. In the same way, the songs that we bring to bedsides are a farewell gesture, a graceful send off, a celebrating and normalizing of the authority and inevitability of death as a natural part this miracle of life. Our service will always be our gift; there will be no charge AND we welcome financial support to
help us continue to make this possible. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit and especially welcome your
end-of-the-year donations. |
Personal StoriesToday I went to visit one of my
hospice patients, and when I got there she was asleep. I decided
to sing softly to her for a while since I had gone all the way over
there. |
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