Original Date: 6-21-97

I attended choir rehearsal on Saturday. The rehearsal was somber. Mrs. Johnson had touched every young person's life that was a part of the youth choir at Harmon Street. Most of us didn't really want to rehearse. Kourtnee attended choir rehearsal with me. I didn't feel up to going by myself, so I asked her to go with me. She had other plans, but she changed them for me. I was glad.

I walked into the church. Everyone was standing around. A couple of my friends saw me. They walked over to me and hugged me. I hadn't seen them for a month. I had been with Kourtnee. Sis. Crawford was late getting there. Her assistant, Michael Jamison, was not able to get the rehearsal started because we were ignoring him. He was only 19, so he was considered one of us. We didn't pay him any attention. Michael told the drummer, Carl, to hit the cymbal loudly. Carl hit the cymbal. The crash of the cymbal caught everyone's attention. Michael yelled at us to quit playing and to rehearse. He asked us how Mother Johnson would feel if she knew we were acting like this. Mentioning Mother Johnson's name worked. We all started acting right and went to our various positions and spots.

Michael told the organist, Shannon, to play "Telephone in My Bosom." He started directing us to sing. Michael could not direct. Either Sis. Crawford, her son Daniel, or I directed. I don't know why he was even trying. I didn't say anything. The altos were flat. The altos were always flat. The choir director in me took over.

I told Michael that I would direct until Daniel arrived. I began directing. I had Shannon play the notes for the altos. I worked with them until they no longer sounded flat. After the altos finally acted right, we sung the whole song without the lead twice. We sung the song again, but this time with me leading the song. Michael said that he would direct, but I told him no. I lead the song and directed, too. We sounded great. Our spirits were brighter after we sung the song. Shannon began playing some shouting music. Angela Jennings started dancing. That girl would dance any time the shouting music would start. I told Shannon to stop playing the shouting music. When she stopped playing the shouting music, Angela stopped shouting. Everyone went to laughing and cracking up. It felt like old times.

Sis. Crawford and Daniel walked in while we were laughing. She asked why we were laughing. No one said anything. She smiled. She asked what we had done so far. We told her. She told us to sing "Telephone in my Bosom" again. We started singing. Daniel directed the song as usual. Sis. Crawford started walking towards Kourtnee. I put the microphone on the stand and walked to Sis. Crawford and Kourtnee. Everybody stopped singing. Sis. Crawford fussed at me for leaving the choir stand. I told her that Kourtnee was with me. Sis. Crawford spoke to Kourtnee and then fussed at me again. Sis. Crawford was always hard on us. She was very tough, but we loved and respected her. (Sis. Crawford did not like guests sitting in on rehearsals. She said that they were a distraction.) Kourtnee shot a look at me. I smiled at her. She looked at Sis. Crawford. Sis. Crawford nicely asked me to go back with the choir. I went back to the choir stand. We started singing the song again. Sis. Crawford made us sing the song three times.

Sis. Crawford told Shannon to play "Rejoice." I started towards the director's stand, but Sis. Crawford stopped me. She told Daniel to direct. I told her that I usually directed the song. She said that the choir needed to get use to singing without me directing. I was about to say something when she told Shannon to start playing. Shannon did not play a note. I looked at Shannon. Sis. Crawford told her to play again. She still didn't play a note. I kept walking. Sis. Crawford asked Shannon what was wrong. Shannon said that she wasn't going to play the song unless I directed the song. Smoke started coming out of Sis. Crawford's ears. Sis. Crawford and Shannon never really got along. Shannon had a habit of always trying to defy Sis. Crawford. Shannon was the assistant pastor's daughter, so she got away with a lot more than most of us did. Sis. Crawford told Shannon that she had better play the song or else. Shannon got up off the organ. She sat on the front pew.

I knew why Shannon was acting a fool. She was one of my close friends at the church. She always wanted me to direct every song. She was a good organist, but she had an attitude that always got her in trouble. I walked over to her and tried to talk to her. She wasn't listening. Sis. Crawford said something about the both of us starting trouble. I looked at Sis. Crawford. I looked at Shannon. I told Shannon to go play the song before she got the both of us in trouble. Shannon said she wasn't going to play the song if I didn't direct.

Sis. Crawford didn't want to give in. I could tell by her facial expression. She told everyone to take a ten-minute break. I tried to talk to Shannon, but she was stubborn. Kourtnee walked up to the both of us. She started talking to Shannon and I. I didn't think that Kourtnee was going to be able to help. She finished talking to us. She walked over to Sis. Crawford and talked to her.

The ten-minute break was over. Everyone began to come back into the sanctuary and get back in their places. Sis. Crawford said that I was going to direct the song. Shannon went and sat back on the organ seat. She started playing the song as if she had not caused a scene ten minutes earlier. Sis. Brown made us sing the song four times before she dismissed us from choir rehearsal. We were scheduled to rehearse again Sunday evening at 5:30. I was praying that nothing crazy would happen at that rehearsal.

Kourtnee and I drove home from rehearsal. We talked about what had happened. I explained to her about Shannon and Sis. Crawford. Kourtnee gave me the respect your elders speech. I knew that speech words by word. I had heard it many times before. The whole youth choir had heard the respect your elder's speech because Shannon was always defying Sis. Crawford. Whenever Shannon would defy Sis. Crawford, the whole choir would have to hear that speech.