Stan Clark
Bass - Mormon Tabernacle Choir

It's hard to believe the Choir and Orchestra's 10-day tour of the upper Midwest states is coming to a close. This morning, we all met in the hotel ballroom for breakfast. During the meal, we were able to publicly thank our marvelous bus drivers who have taken such good care of us over the last week and a half. They all received a small gift of appreciation as well as a lengthy standing ovation for the safe, professional, and kind service they provided for us every day while on tour. We were then entertained by a handful of Choir and Orchestra members who performed the "Music & the Spoken Word Haka" (which had to be seen to be believed—let's just say that the players of the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team were an inspiration:http://youtu.be/SUFsL6o8y5s). We then started the process of boarding the buses and getting to the planes waiting for us at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. As Lloyd Newell said to the audiences at each of the concerts, moving the Choir and Orchestra "is like moving a small army." With great efficiency, the process of getting back home and back to our families and our everyday lives has started.

My experience with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir 2013 tour provided something beautiful every day. On the bus as we were driving through the gorgeous green farmland of Wisconsin, I was reminded of the beauty of the American heartland and the beauty of the experience I was having. The American poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson stated:

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God's handwriting—a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing."

This tour has been full of beauty—beautiful music, beautiful people, beautiful weather, beautiful feelings, and beautiful friendships. And not only have we received "a cup of blessing," we've received blessings by the truckloads. Many thanks again to all of the Choir leadership, crew, and staff and to all of the wonderful people in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota that we met along the way. I am beyond grateful to our Heavenly Father for this beautiful and unforgettable experience. 

(And, as a final bit of advice from someone who's been there, "When in Schaumburg, rent a car.")