choral music therapy

We’ve been listening to a lot of St. Olaf Choir lately at our house, as mentioned in a previous post.  Lyd calls it “church music,” as in, “Momma, can we listen to church music?”  It’s her new favorite CD, and with the way I’ve been feeling these past days, mine too.  There’s some solid Christian hymns on that CD, and the choir sings all the verses in fantastic arrangements.  One of the hymns that has strongly affected me these past anxious days has been “The Church’s One Foundation.”  The themes of schisms not being able to tear the church apart, the saints in heaven crying, “How long?”, and the picture painted of heaven and “the church at rest,” are all hitting closer to home for me than ever before.  “My Faith Looks Up to Thee” is another hymn that is sung more simply, but the message is so strongly driven home.  Finally, a slow-swing Gospel-style version of “Amazing Grace” gets me every time, too.  There’s the verse that goes: When we’ve been there ten thousand years Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun.  What an utterly wonderful place heaven will be!

I meant to write a lot more on all this tonight, but it’s 10:30, and I’m wiped out.  I will say one more thing, though.  It is wonderfully helpful when you are having anxiety issues, to have such solidly Christian hymns running through your head.  It really, really helps keep you grounded while your body is going haywire.

(Speaking of anxiety, today’s theory is that I’m wondering if I’m substantially hypoglycemic, and that’s what’s causing my anxiety.  Do any of you have any experience with that?  If so, please leave a comment and let me know about it.)