Right Here Now – Heather Houston

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Honoring the SACRED PAUSE. This song came through shortly after we were sheltered in place in 2020. I was feeling afraid and confused and devastated by it all. In a state of panic, I remembered that the most powerful, calming thing I can do is to call myself into the present moment. And I just started singing, and this is what moved through me…

Lyrics

Right here now, in this present moment,
Right here now, I am singing
Right here now in this present moment,
Right here now, I am breathing

Pause with the exhale, let go surrender

All is well, I am held in the arms of Love
​​​​​​​All is well, I am held by the One

Right here now, this is holy ground
Right here now, this is sacred sound

© Heather Houston
04/2020
All rights reserved

 

Wade in the Water Medley – Traditional Spirituals

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Traditional Spirituals

I learned this medley from Ysaye Barnwell at a music educators conference way back in 1999. A favorite amongst my elementary school choirs as well as my adult choirs and circles.

Wade In the Water was an Underground Railroad song, sung as a guide to assist the those moving towards freedom to know where the safe river crossings were, or to get into the water so the dogs would lose the scent. Also referencing the Bible from Exedos. “An angel troubled the water”. A call to get in the water to become whole and healed again.

Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child – a song of grief for those separated from their families and their homeland.

I Wanna Die Easy When I Die – the enslaved people’s way of claiming that they WILL make it to freedom, and they will not die until they do – Such strength and conviction of spirit!

When I sing these songs with my groups, I also like to presence that we are still on a journey of reparations, justice and equality with people of color who are descendants of the enslaved. There are still deep wounds that need to be healed. I like to have the circle speak their prayers, or I like to set an intention that as we sing these songs, we are creating a ripple of love and healing for those still on the journey, and for our nation as a whole.

Lyrics:

Wade In The Water

Wade in the water
Wade in the water children
Wade in the water
God’s gonna trouble the water

Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child

Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
A long way from home

I Wanna Die Easy

I wanna die easy when I die
I wanna die easy when I die
I wanna die easy when I die
Shout salvation when I rise
I want to die easy when I die

These songs are in the public domain

Tending the Spark — Heather Houston

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A song for these uncertain times. This one moved through me one evening as the Chico Campfire was raging in CA. Tuning into that reality, and the reality of climate change, feelings of vulnerability, uncertainty, grief, and a spark hope, were swirling through me all at once. I asked for a song to drop in, and this is what landed – a gift from beyond. May we continue to care for each other as the world as we know it unravels, and may we continue to plant the seeds of intentional new beginnings that uplift the planet and humanity as a whole.

© Heather Houston
All rights reserved

Lyrics:

And we will care for each other
As the world around us unravels
And we will tend to the spark
Of hope that lives within our grieving hearts
And we are here now, in this present moment
Lifting our voices and hearts
And we are here now, we have come together
We are tending the spark of hope
Oh may it grow
And we will care for each other