How do we honor the dog friends who keep us company without complaint? How do we prepare when their all-too-short lives near an end? How do we grieve their passing and take joy in their memory? This memoir celebrates the life of a beautiful Golden Retriever named Hannah Estelle. It tells how, at a time of deep sadness, Hannah's puppy presence helped the author learn to sing again; how, as he became an accomplished vocalist, her faithful friendship brought grace and joy; and how, during the cancer-wracked months that ended her life, his singing to Hannah helped her departure. Woven around texts from poignant songs, the book speaks of loss and love, of sorrow and joy, of suffering and hope. Each chapter is a dog song, inspired by the canine companion it is about, and songlike in its own aspiration. Lambert Zuidervaart tells lyrical stories about a dear dog's life to thank her for helping him learn to sing once more.

It seemed an unlikely matcha minister and a bartender. But Rev. Norman Helm and Gretchen fell in love and became man and wife in 1981. They lived a happy life together until the day Norm was hit by a car while crossing the street in Westborough, Massachusetts, on December 1, 1989. He suffered a traumatic brain injury that also left him virtually deaf. In this memoir, Gretchen tells the honest and personal story of how they have dealt with Norms traumatic brain injury, the loss of his profession as a senior pastor, his profound deafness, and his recent diagnosis of dementia. From the sad to the lighthearted, she shares anecdotes from their life togetherhow they have coped with the many challenges placed in their path and how their experiences have made them stronger. A testimony of hope for a bright future, The Birds Will Sing Again demonstrates how sharing painful experiences can help ease the burden of living with disabilities and shows the power of celebrating the joys of each day.

This beautiful and supportive gift book combines stunning images by internationally renowned New Zealand photographer Darryl Torckler with warm and thoughtful text by Gillian Torckler. Each two-page spread offers a statement of sympathy and compassion - a brief yet uplifting message of comfort that is meant for a friend or loved one in mourning.

For the SingerThis book is designed as an interactive workbook that will help you to understand how your voice works, and to gain insight into what is taking place physically as you experience vocal changes. Most important, it presents ideas as to what types of actions you can take to improve the condition of your voice so that you can enjoy singing to its fullest.For the Choral ConductorWith an average population that is becoming older each year, many conductors are finding an increase in the number of mature singers in their choirs. Specifically, conductors working with a church or community choir are now often in the unique position of needing new tools to guide these singers toward preserving, or re-building, a healthy vocal condition. This book provides those tools in the form of guidelines and practical exercises geared to enhancing vocal vitality and longevity for adult singers of all ages.