Taize

I went to a Taizé service tonight.  When I lived in San Francisco I went to a Taizé meditation service most Wednesday nights.  It was my time to let go of the emotions of my job, hear beautiful voices around me and sit in silence letting the business of life fade away for 1 hour.  I think my expectations may have been a bit high going into tonight.  I had assumed all Taizé was led by a professional soprano opera singer, the reader should have a deep soothing voice lulling you into the silence and the chants not in Latin should be in English, of course.  The service tonight was in Swedish - imagine that!  They even translated several of the Latin chants I know by heart into Swedish.  I must have sounded like those pre-Vatican II Catholics diehards who insist on mass in Latin.  Only this wasn't even a Catholic thing.  But there I was chanting and singing away using the Latin words I know.  I also should mention I was one of seven people there making my contribution very obvious.

I think it's human nature to take a subject we have experience with and feel uneasy when seeing the subject done differently.  Sometimes we find faults, sometimes we find things we like and sometimes we just can't pinpoint it but know the difference makes us feel unsettled.  I'm feeling a bit unsettled this week: teaching styles are different, most foods come in plastic tubes, the whole bathroom gets soaked when you take a shower, meatballs are eaten with tart lingonberries, and Taizé is in Swedish.