Make a Joyful Noise by Karma Pratt

In our house, we are in a season of living, learning and growing. Everyone is stretching beyond themselves and everyday there are new opportunities to learn something new. This is the incredible blessing of school aged children. They are students and teachers all rolled into one. Of course, not every moment is sunshine and roses. We have many instances of frustration. Angry tears can be just as common as joyful laughter. Overall, though, we are learning to live in the light of thanksgiving. 

My family's sense of fun has informed my writing. Learning to laugh in the moment helps me remember to be present in the everyday. Focusing on one thing at a time helps me set boundaries so that I don't fall down the rabbit hole of multitasking mania. Embracing joy has allowed me to step back from busyness and choose purposeful interactions and connection instead. 

Life is busy, there's no doubt, but I read recently that, “A day is a pocket of possibility and it’s always there, waiting for your willing hand.” - Ann Voskamp, The Broken Way: A Daring Path into the Abundant Life

I am learning how to lean into the joy, how to exchange it for piled up deadlines and pressure that won't stop squeezing. I am learning that the pressures I feel are self-imposed, and the joy I experience comes from learning to let go of the pressure. I am learning that saying, "Yes!" to fun in the sun and backyard playtime allows me to say, "Yes!" to God emphatically and passionately.

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22 ESV

The love and laughter in our home is the good medicine that allows me to dig into my writing in new ways. Places that I was leery to explore before, are now opening up as new light shines into dark corners. I will likely never be a fiction writer. (would that it were!) Instead, my path is moving in the direction of non-fiction, memoir and poetry. All the joyful interactions in this current season remind me of how far I've come, and what I have to share through words. 

The Apostle Paul ended his letter to the Philippians with this prayer: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit" (Philippians 4:23). Joy, love and laughter are entry points into God's grace. What a gift!

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Karma writes from the golden house in Northeastern BC. You can connect with her online at redraincoatcreations.com

Musical Inclinations by Karma Pratt

Music has always been a big part of who I am and how I express myself. Growing up, we would take road trips during summer holidays. Our departure was always trumpeted with a rousing chorus of “Holiday Road” led by my dad in the driver’s seat. My brother and I would sit in the back of our ’79 Thunderbird (or Thunderchicken as it came to be known), belting out harmonies and background vocals, while my mom would grin and bear it from the passenger seat. Not that she didn’t love music, but there is a limit to the volume of “harmony” any mom can reasonably take.

Twin Love

I understand this better now, being a mom myself. As I watch my kids grow, stepping into their own strengths, and taking on new challenges, I find myself cringing a little when the volume levels get too high. I have twin children: one with a vocabulary that rivals Webster, and one with significant speech delays who is just now beginning to express himself using words. At 3-1/2 years old, both love to sing and make music. Imagine a chorus of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” to the tune of “mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, ARGH, ARGH, ARGH!” (insert inner pirate voice here). That’s kind of how our songs can go.

I wouldn’t trade the loud voices and musical tendencies of my children for all the gold in Fort Knox. Through them I have relearned what it means to truly make a joyful noise. They sing because there’s a song rising up in their hearts, and they cannot conceive of quelling it. They enjoy music and dancing because these activities, these moments connect them to their joy.

Our storyteller

Sometimes the most powerful lessons come from the most innocent perspectives.
 
Last summer, I had a profound lesson in the nature of creativity. Our daughter, Kalliste, was singing a song she had made up on the spot. We were outdoors at a birthday party for a family friend. We'd been enjoying the birthday festivities, and it was obvious that both kids were in their element. Running around in the fresh air is their favourite thing to do!  

Kalliste, who had just finished one lilting, sing-song effort, paused, took a breath, glanced up at the trees, then looked right back at me and declared, "I feel another song coming. I'm going to sing it now." She proceeded to belt out a new tune, different in tone and structure than the previous one. 

This new song was all about the wind in the trees.

In her book, If You Want to Write, Brenda Ueland describes it this way: "And how do these creative thoughts come? They come in a slow way. It is the little bomb of revelation bursting inside you." (Ueland, p. 38)

Creative inspiration can take so many forms. The trick, I am learning, is to embrace these moments when they come. They are spontaneous, spirited and fun-filled. There is no angst, no waiting for the perfect moment, or the perfect word. They simply happen, creative sparks that translate into music. Simple and profound.

Meeting special guest, Elmo, at the
CDC mini talent show. The kids sang
with their classmates.

Music has always been a big part of my life, and I am encouraged and inspired by my children’s love of music. We have a house filled with joyful noise, love and creativity. We sing our praises loudly, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Karma Pratt is a faith-driven mom of twins, a communicator, a writer, and an encourager from way back. She offers professional writing and editing services at redraincoatcreations.com.