The eighty eight ivory keys of my upright piano have been the second-most significant source of comfort for as long as I can remember (not counting my people and my God, of course). I make no claims to be an artist and am certainly no performing pianist, but it is a practice I maintain because of the inspiring and restorative powers of making music.

There’s hardly a mood that can’t be ameliorated by a melody played from my own fingers.

The only personal source of comfort I would select over sitting solitary at my piano bench would be to lift my voice in song with others. The communion of souls that occurs when voices resonate in harmony is unmatched.

Perhaps you don’t identify as a singer, though. Even so, I imagine you know the feeling. Consider laughter. How often are you so tickled laughing alone that you bring yourself to tears? In my experience that kind of giggling only happens in a group. Consider, also, observing beauty. I am writing this at the peak of autumn and I can’t get enough of the gradient ochre rolling over our East Tennessee hills.

Did you photograph the fall colors this year? Or the last thing you saw that compelled you to pause for a moment? Did you snap a pic? Then, did you share it?

Last month, my daughter performed in her first Athens Community Theatre (ACT) production. As a product of the Swiftie generation, she’s drawn to the spotlight and tends to play the main character in her own life. But during

Best Christmas Pageant Ever, she learned how to be part of the chorus.

Quite literally, as she was a member of the angel chorus with ten other girls about as different from one another as kids can be.

For three nights a week for five weeks those children came together in a place with no barriers to connection. My little angel was one of sixty percent of that cast performing with ACT for this first time. They ranged in age from five to over forty-five and represented five counties. They came from all kinds of schools and churches and jobs and backgrounds to one room, where they made a living, breathing work of art.

We witness creation and community daily at The Arts Center because of your presence, participation, and partnership. Thank you for investing in our creative chorus!

As you share your gifts this Holiday season, please consider making a financial contribution to your Arts Center.

As a registered charitable organization we rely on your generosity to make our transformative programming possible.

My hope for this Holiday season is that you’ll reflect on what brings you comfort—I’ll wager there’s something creative to it—and make a point to practice it.

Yours for the arts,

Lauren

A guide to Year End Giving

1. Become an Arts Partner and join the group of annual donors who make our creative chorus possible.

2. If you are a current Arts Partner, make a General Donation as an additional contribution. If you’d like your donation to be in memory or in honor of a loved one, please let us know that in the “notes” field.

Support access to arts education with a donation to one of our scholarship funds: