Duh! And then I forget to paste the post. I'm taking it easy today. Apparently, a lot easier than I realized. Now THIS is the post haste.

I never mind a request. If I can do the song, I'm happy to do it, and if not, I tell people they'd be much happier if I didn't sing it. One noticeable exception occurred every time I played at a particular place. A woman would ask me to sing Ave Maria, and even though I'd tell her that I didn't know it well enough to sing it, she'd ask me a couple more times before I finished singing. The story?

Once a month, my wife and I visit a local nursing home where I provide the music for a short church service, led by my close friend Ken. Ken is the pastor of a church in the area and over the years we've had a great time sharing music together. When my Gospel Messngers quartet was still singing, we did Anniversary concerts at his church four different years, and I've done fund-raising concerts for the church on my own. Ken is a folkie (some friends of his are coming down from Maine next month, and he's invited Ruth and me over, along with some other friends, for a song swap. The audience at the church service at the nursing home has a wide range of physical and emotional problems. It became clear to me early on that the woman who continually requested Ave Maria was having severe emotional problems. She is Catholic and was very critical of me because I didn't sing hymns that she knew from her church. She had a nasty attitude about everything, and with everyone. Every time she'd request Ave Maria, no matter how many times, I was always polite to her, telling her what a beautiful song it is, but that I don't have the voice to do the song justice. Through time, she softened toward me and became quite sweet tempered. When she'd ask for the song, as she continued to do, one of the workers there would say in a kindly voice, "I'll play a recording of it for you after the service is over," and she'd relax. It was beautiful to see her calm down, over the months that she came. She went from visibly agitated and argumentative to peaceful, just enjoying the service for what it was.

Like the others we sing for, we know there will be a day when they no longer show up. That day arrived for her a year ago, but I still remember her. And I still don't do Ave Maria on request.