Choir Notes

Singing in the Rain
From Music and the Spoken Word
Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell • Program 4220

In 1952 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released what is now considered one of the best musicals ever made, Singin’ in the Rain. This great love story is also a story about adapting to change—it depicts the transition in the 1920s from silent movies to “talkies.” Imagine what a change that must have been!

Indeed, the adage is true: nothing is more constant than change. Just in the past hundred years or so, we’ve gone from horse and buggy to trains, automobiles, and airplanes; from paper and ink to typewriters, computers, and who knows what the future will bring? Countries, cultures, economies, and people are continually changing. We’ve all had to make changes.

So how should we respond when change rains down on us? One elderly woman decided that the best way to keep up with the changes in technology was to be willing to learn about them. Instead of rejecting computers, cell phones, and e-mail, she learned how to use them. She found that they weren’t as difficult as she thought they would be, and she appreciated the people who helped her learn to feel comfortable with these innovations.

Like an unexpected rainstorm, change can be unsettling at first. But it can also be refreshing and invigorating and enriching if we are willing to trust that good can come from change. Life in the coming decades will inevitably change for all of us. Rather than trying to avoid change, we can continue to learn, be open to new possibilities, and do our best to prepare so that we can become a positive part of the change.

The future is coming, filled with wonderful opportunities and inevitable challenges. When difficulties come and dark clouds gather, they may not be easy to face, but we can make adjustments, accept changes, and maybe even find reason to sing in the rain.