Alabare'

Well, I think maybe my brain function is beginning to return, at least in small increments. Despite some of my readers' kind comments, my blogging quality and variety has definitely suffered in the past few weeks and months with the birth of my baby.

Since I'm finally beginning to think and write something other than stream-of-consciousness unorganized thoughts about sleep deprivation, infants and preschoolers, you can expect to see a gradual return to regularly scheduled programming. Which, of course, means nothing in particular, really. Hopefully it will entail a slightly better quality of writing, a little more depth of thought and a wider variety of topics woven in with the stories about life in the Purple_Kangaroo home.

DH is sick today. Something he picked up on the airplane. So I sent him to sleep in the guest room last night so he wouldn't infect me and the baby, and so he could get a good night's sleep.

He doesn't have any sick time or vacation time left after taking time off when Baby E was born, so he can't call in sick. But he can work from home. So he's working from his laptop today. I'm sorry he's sick, but it is so nice to have him around. I'm trying to make sure he's at least eating something and drinking lots of orange juice and the occasional dose of Airborne.

The kids are so much more peaceable now that he's home; especially when both of us are here. They're playing nicely with each other and just seem so much happier.

It was nice to have DH able to keep an eye on the two older girls while he was working so I could shower. I took the baby in the bathroom and put her in the bouncy seat since she was a bit fussy and seems to like the sound of the fan and the running water.

Today, however, the white noise didn't do the trick. Baby E was still fussy, so I sang to her while I took a shower. That seemed to help a bit, but not a whole lot--until I started singing in Spanish. I don't know if it was the unusual language or the lively tune, but she liked it.

She got quiet and listened while I sang:

ALABARE, ALABARE, ALABARE,
ALABARE, ALABARE A MI SEÑOR (BIS)

Juan vió al número de los redimidos.
Todos adoraban al Señor.
Unos oraban, otros cantaban.
Todos alababan al Señor.

Somos tus hijos, Dios Padre eterno,
Tú nos has creado por amor.
Te adoramos, te bendecimos.
Todos cantamos en tu honor.

Todos unidos, siempre cantaremos
glorias y alabanzas al Señor.
Gloria al Padre, gloria al Hijo,
gloria al Espíritu de Amor.


I like the song. Roughly, it means

Praising, praising, praising God. (chorus repeated twice between each set of verses)

John saw the number of the redeemed,
All giving adoration to God.
Some were singing, others were praying.
All were praising the Lord.

We are all your children, God our Eternal Father.
You have created us by love (or, for love).
You we adore, you we bless.
All of us sing together in your honor.

All united, always singing together
Glory and praise to the Lord
Glory to the Father, glory to the Son,
Glory to the Spirit of Love.

I like it because it reminds me how different people in the Body of Christ approach God in different ways. Some may praise God by singing, others by praying or speaking, still others by their art, service or actions. But all are unified together in raising praise to God. Singing it in another language drives home even more that I have brothers and sisters all over the world, each worshipping our God in a unique way. It's something I love about my faith.

My nephew Daniel has been blogging a series about what worship is and how we approach it. It makes for some interesting reading if the topic appeals to you.

Worship is so much more than just singing. It's not just something we do at church on Sudays before the sermon; it's a way of life. It's so much broader and more essential to the Christian life than we tend to think. As we live our lives in a way that glorifies God, our worship joins with that of others all over the world, rising together in a rich and beautiful incense of praise.