Bill, Victoria, and Pauline Haber

When we moved to Charleston in 2010, we found a house on Church Street, a few short blocks from the church. Victoria turned three shortly afterward, and it was time to find a preschool.  We found a spot for her at the little school at St. Philip’s, and we met Jo Hethcox, who invited Victoria to participate in the Cherub Choir. Once she started, she loved singing and there was no turning back.

One particular day months later, Victoria accompanied me on a short walk to the post office at the Four Corners of Law at Meeting and Broad. We walked through the easement that leads to the parking lot connecting Ropemakers Lane to Meeting Street, which put us on the sidewalk where so many flower ladies sell their wares.

One small basket caught her eye, and she asked me to purchase it as a gift for her Mama. I explained to her that we weren’t there to shop, and were just going to the post office to pick something up. We walked on and ran our errand, circling back to make our way home. As we passed the basket, Victoria went to inspect it once more.  The woman asked if I wanted to buy it for my child, and I explained I hadn’t brought my wallet along, thanking her for letting us look. Victoria spoke up with a suggestion: “Can I sing you a song?”

The woman laughed and said, “Let me hear your song, child.”

Victoria broke into the song that the Cherub Choir had been working on, “The Lord is My Shepherd.” Her small voice, her passion for song, and her falsetto “Always, always, I’ll walk with Him always” was the sweetest thing to me, but it clearly touched the woman as well.

The woman smiled and wiped her eye as she handed Victoria the small basket, saying, “Bless you, child. That was beautiful.” She was elated walking home, eager to present the gift she bought for a song to her mother.

Victoria has moved through the different choirs over the years and has just sung at Canterbury and Southwark Cathedrals in England the last few days. We are grateful for what her choir experience has done to enrich her life and the lives of all, including strangers who come to hear our music shared all over the world.

The Canterbury and St. David Choirs were in Europe July 20 through August 6. Read about their time in England, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands on their tour blog.