“How wonderful is the human voice! It is indeed the organ of the soul!”
— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Two years ago, on the eve of All Saints’ Day, my mother passed away. During the final weeks of her life, we listened together to the Ukrainian Divine Liturgy each day. As she took her last breath, the choir sang one of its most beautiful hymns,
“Осанна во вишніх! Благословен, хто йде в ім’я Господнє!” — “Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Those words, the music, and that sacred moment have remained forever intertwined in my heart.
Across centuries and cultures, spiritual traditions have described moments when the boundary between the earthly and the divine blurs. Celtic spirituality speaks of thin places, while the Ukrainian Byzantine tradition embraces the Divine Liturgy as a meeting of heaven and earth.
I experienced this more profoundly than ever before during my mother’s final moments. As the familiar hymns filled the room, I felt God’s presence with an intensity unlike anything I had ever known. And I knew my mother felt it too. We were completely at peace, enveloped in love and an overwhelming sense of serenity. We often imagine the end of life as a time of pain and struggle, yet what I witnessed was something profoundly different. I knew in my heart that she was not suffering. There was something deeply sacred about those moments, a peace beyond words and an experience that remains difficult to explain.
Perhaps one of life’s most beautiful lessons is found in the circle of love that carries us from our first breath to our last. We enter this world needing to be held, comforted, and cherished. The warmth of a gentle touch, the reassurance of a familiar voice, and the loving presence of those who care for us form our earliest sense of safety. As the years pass and our parents grow older, we are given the privilege of returning that same tenderness. The hands that once held ours may one day need our support. The voices that once soothed us deserve to hear our own expressions of love. We never outgrow the need to feel safe, cherished, and connected. In those final moments, my mother was surrounded by that love. I knew she felt safe, cherished and deeply loved.
When I hear that hymn in church today, I am transported back to those precious moments. The alto in the choir carries something of my mother’s voice, and I find myself listening for it before joining in. She encouraged me to sing in church when I was young, never imagining how profoundly those melodies would shape my life. Years later, singing has become an even greater source of joy, comfort, and connection. Each time I lift my voice with the choir, I feel the continuity of her love through the melodies that still resonate within my heart.
Beyond its spiritual and emotional beauty, singing holds another remarkable gift. Science is beginning to illuminate what generations have intuitively understood: the human voice possesses extraordinary potential to nurture our health and well-being.
Singing is a symphony of the human body. Breath flows from the lungs as the diaphragm, abdominal muscles, vocal cords, and intricate networks of nerves coordinate to transform air into melody. Each sustained phrase encourages controlled breathing and a gentle, prolonged exhalation. This rhythmic exchange influences the autonomic nervous system, including patterns of heart rate variability associated with breathing. Research has even demonstrated that when people sing together, their breathing and heart rhythms begin to synchronize. There is something wonderfully poetic about this discovery: as our voices come together in harmony, our bodies can begin to share a rhythm as well.
The benefits extend into the mind and emotions. Research suggests that singing can help ease stress, elevate mood, and foster a sense of well-being. Group singing offers the additional gifts of companionship, belonging, and shared purpose, qualities especially valuable as we age. Studies of community choirs have found reduction in loneliness and social well-being among older adults. Preliminary research has also explored changes in stress and immune markers associated with musical participation, although their long-term health implications remain uncertain.
Music engages an extraordinary constellation of brain networks involved in memory, emotion, attention, and movement. A familiar melody can awaken memories that have lain quiet for decades, summoning cherished faces, distant experiences, and emotions that words alone may struggle to express. Even when memory or language becomes impaired, familiar songs can sometimes offer a pathway to connection. Music has also found a meaningful place in palliative care, where personally treasured melodies may provide comfort, ease distress, and enrich the precious time shared between loved ones.
These discoveries carry a message that reaches far beyond the choir loft. Sing in your kitchen, your car, your garden, or your place of worship. Hum a favorite melody when the day feels overwhelming. Join a choir or share a song with a friend. Invite parents and grandparents to revisit the music of their youth, and listen to the stories those melodies awaken. When caring for someone who is ill or approaching the end of life, remember the comfort that a familiar voice, a gentle touch, and a beloved song may bring. Our voices need never be perfect to become instruments of healing.
There is also a quiet wisdom in recognizing that some of our most powerful expressions of love are found in the simple gift of our presence. A reassuring hand, a familiar hymn, a few moments of undivided attention can offer comfort beyond measure. These simple gifts nourish our relationships and remind us of the deep human need for connection throughout every season of life.
Perhaps that is one of the most beautiful mysteries of music. A melody can transcend time, bring comfort through sorrow, and awaken the deepest places within our hearts. Every breath offers another opportunity to sing, to connect, and to share something of ourselves with those we love.
As All Saints’ Day approaches, I find myself reflecting on the extraordinary gifts my mother left behind. Her love, her faith, and the music she encouraged me to embrace continue to shape the rhythm of my days. Although her earthly voice has grown silent, her song continues through mine. Love endures, carried from one voice to another, one generation to the next.