Soli Deo Gratias...

It is claimed that, following the fashion of many other Baroque composers, J.S. Bach used to write, at the top of each page of blank manuscript paper, "Soli Deo Gratias"--"God only the glory." It was a reminder by this devout Lutheran to himself that, no matter the beauty and power of the music that followed, it was a gift of his God, moving through him.

I don't believe in Bach's God. But when I hear this story from Dharmonia, about a CD which we recorded about 10 years ago, and which was dedicated to medieval music of St Francis of Assisi (the most mystical and Sufi of all Catholic saints), I cannot account for its impact except in terms of Grace:

I sometimes have days when I wonder what the hell good I'm doing in this world.

Then there are days like today --thought you'd all want to hear this:

My mom has a friend named Marsha whose elderly mother-in-law has been dying. They brought a copy of the St Francis CD to the hospital, and she has been loving it and telling them how peaceful it made her feel through this process.

Well, she passed away today. Just before, she was quite agitated, and her family asked the nurses if they would take off whatever music was on and put the St Francis CD on. They did, and she instantly became peaceful - her body relaxed.

She told her family she "could hear the angels singing" and passed away peacefully shortly thereafter.

I have nothing to say. Or, at least, not in words.