From Terry - The 3rd Row On The Right

The 3rd row on the right!

I’ve had a great view from this seat for 18 tours.  Oceans, rivers, forests, deserts, grasslands, plains, mountains, big cities, small towns, famous sites and obscure, but memorable, curiosities. I’ve been privileged to see more of this country than most people could ever dream of seeing.

The best view has been on the inside of the bus.  Nearly 200 young faces have passed by while I’ve been sitting here, most of them for four years, some for five. The first time they file past they are still children, anxious about their first tour.  Will it be as fun as advertised?  Will it make a year of rehearsal and fundraising worthwhile? 

When they file past for the last time, after four or five years of travels, they are young adults.  They have come to understand just how wonderful and significant an experience the choir has been in their lives.  Their eyes, in those final trips up and down the aisle are often filled with tears.  Tears of sadness that their time in the choir is ending, and tears of joy for the experiences they’ve had and the friends with whom they made so many memories.

What happens between the first and last trips up the aisle is a magical thing to see.  They slowly begin to discover who they are and what they might want to do with their lives. They decide how they are going to treat the world and the people around them.  They experience incredible highs, demoralizing lows and too many lessons learned the hard way.   In the end they emerge as motivated, compassionate contributing young adults. 

I think of those young adults as friends for life.  Many of them I love dearly. For every one of those faces I can recall a fond memory.  Every one!

To me that is the beauty of the whole Wesley Bell Ringer experience.  There are so many moments I’d like to be able to do over.  Words spoken in anger, haste or stress that I’d like to take back.  Reactions to situations that I’d have done differently in retrospect.  I suspect that most of those 200 young people have some of the same regrets, but those are not the moments that come to mind when we reflect on our time together.  We overcame the difficult times.  We remember with pride the challenges and adversity we’ve overcome together.  We remember the joys we’ve shared together.  We remember the music we made together and the impact it had on our audiences.  We treasure our friendships and our shared experiences. And, we wish the same for those who follow us.

It has been an honor to direct this choir.  I’ve directed the choir in some incredible venues.  I have been blessed beyond words by the relationships with ringers and parents.  Thank you one and all! 

Terry Waite