Back to the Beginning...

Featuring UPenn's A Capella Group "PennSori" singing a Disney Medley!

Last Sunday at Rhythm of Faith, we had an hour of practice and then spent the 2nd hour talking. (RoF seems to be doing a lot of "talking" lately...)
We went around the room sharing our reasons for why we joined RoF. As we went around the room sharing our reasons, I reflected a lot about myself and my motives for being in RoF.
As a girl with an older brother who is 8 years her senior, I grew up being exposed to the music and culture he enjoyed. When my brother was in college, he purchase a lot of college group A Capella CDs, and more specifically, a lot of Christian A Capella CDs. As he would drive me to my orchestra rehearsal or art lesson, we'd sit in the car and listen to the amazing voices of college A Capella groups. By being exposed to my brother's tastes in music, I began to form my own interest in A Capella.
It became my turn, and I began to explain my story about how I became interested in A Capella and how I had found out about Rhythm of Faith. However, as my story continued, I found myself explaining why I stayed instead of why I joined.
I joined RoF because of my initial love for A Cappella music and my desire to be a part of an A Capella group. However, now I realize that RoF is so much more than just an A Cappella group to me. RoF is my stress relief. RoF is my excitement. RoF is my favorite pastime. RoF is my offering to God. RoF is my way of singing to the world about my love for Jesus. RoF is my second family. And I could go on and on. The reason I joined was because I was given an choice. The reason I stayed was because my own self would not have given me a different option.
I write this because I realize that it is so easy to forget one's motivations for doing something. Especially when working in a group. As the end of the semester nears with a number of performances, RoF has been pressured to keep up with the demand. Rehearsals have gone by without proper breaks and with many moments of frustration. However, as we get busier, it becomes more important to take a step back, think back to where we started, and fall in love all over again with what we do.
I'm so thankful for having been able to join Rhythm of Faith and for having been given such a wonderful group to lift up my voice with. And as my RoF career continues, I just pray that I will always remember to pause and take a step "back to the beginning"...