Preston and the Stake Choir

The Arlington Stake held their semi-annual Stake Conference April 16 & 17th.....the meetings were absolutely wonderful. I'm still the Stake Music Chairman, so I conducted the choir. We recently called Jenni as the Stake Choir Accompanist, which I am very grateful for.

During the last song that the choir sang, Will had just taken Taylor out in the foyer (because he was jabbering like crazy) so Preston (who will be 3 in June) was supposed to sit on the pew alone while Jenni and I went up to sing and play. However, he didn't like the idea of sitting there alone, so Jenni brought him up and sat him on the first riser where the choir seats start.

As the choir stood, Preston stood up too, climbed up on the riser next to a soprano, gave her a little shove so he would have room to stand beside her. He started waving his arms in the air, mimicking me as I conducted the choir. As the choir progressed into the song, Preston noticed that all the members of the choir were holding music folders, and that he didn't have one, so he promptly got down and walked to the pew where he had been sitting and picked up a hymnbook.

By this time, Will had come back into the chapel and noticed Preston heading back up to stand in the choir.....and grabbed him so he couldn't go back up. Poor Preston came unglued! He started to cry.....big tears! He wanted to go back up and sing in the choir! Neither Jenni or I knew that any of this was going on, because we were concentrating on the music, so we heard about all of this from both Will and the first counselor in the Stake Presidency, David Flake, after the fact.

I'm sure that it was a traumatic thing for him at the time, (and I'm sure he got over it fast) but I just thought that it was so sweet that he wanted to "be there" next to mom and grandma and do what they were doing. Preston, I sure love you!