Page 10 - Winter 2021 Tags and Swipes

Tags and Swipes, Winter 2021

Chorus Lines

Berkshire Hills Chorus

2020 -The Way We Were

“You Fill Up My Senses”-On March 2, 2020 we were invited to sing for the Berkshire Benevolent Association
for the Blind at the Dalton VFW in Dalton, MA. The guests were tapping their feet and clapping their hands to
the 30 minute performance to tunes including “Yesterday”, “Locomotion” “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” and “Can
You Feel the Love Tonight” . The most poignant segment of our performance was during the song “Happy”; a
visually and hearing impaired guest had the words signed into the palm of her hand. Her smile touched our
hearts. Music leaves an impression in each of us and this performance helped make a personal connection in our
hearts and soul. Music is not only a sound but an emotion that fills our 5 senses with love.

And then it happened…Covid 19. And everything stopped.

Just like that our world as we knew it
changed and for a little while, we were silent.
We hurt, we cried and we made every effort
to stay connected on Zoom. We grew
strong. We were resilient. These beautiful,
wonderful group of women kept the music
alive. And, we gained a new member in
August. We continue to meet every other
Tuesday on Zoom. Singing, reminiscing,
sharing our talents, mindfulness and most
important our unique bond. We gathered
together on Zoom December 8 th and
celebrated the holidays. We mailed out our
Secret Santa gifts (masks) and opened our
gifts together during the party.

A few weeks ago, our long time Chorus member and wonderful lead
Teresa Krzysztof passed away after a brief illness. We are grieving her
loss and will miss her smile, her presence and her singing. “Sing your
way home my friend”. Rest in peace.

I would like to leave you with a quote that touched my heart-
Someone once asked me: “Why do you love music so much?” I replied:
Because it’s the only thing that stays when everything and everyone is
gone. (author unknown)

Maria Brodeur
10

North Atlantic Region 1 Sweet Adelines