I lived in the greater Los Angeles area for over 50 years, so the recent devastating wildfires have affected many of my friends, former employees, and customers. My heart goes out to each of you. I hope you, your family, friends, pets, houses, and harps are all safe. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

And now, on a happier note . . .

I want to congratulate Rees Harps, the maker of Harpsicle® Harps and other quality harps. In December they won the Indiana Chamber of Commerce "Coolest Thing Made IN Indiana" competition. We all agree that harps are the coolest things anywhere, and now we have proof. Congratulations to the fine folks at Rees Harps for your well-deserved award.

Happy New Year!

-- Sylvia

I've experienced several fun coincidences recently, so that is the theme of this month's newsletter. Whether you call them coincidences, synchronicities, or divine intervention, I hope you enjoy reading about my experiences.

My most recent coincidence happened a few weeks ago during the Christmas Eve church service I attended. At one point in his sermon, the pastor said, "The coming of the light." At that very second, someone in the neighborhood set off an illegal aerial firework that lit up the sky and the entire interior of the church. Everyone laughed, including the pastor. Since this was on Christmas Eve, not New Year's Eve, it was the only fireworks we heard all evening.

The pastor said this coincidence reminded him of his first sermon at that church. He had said, "the cock crows at dawn," and immediately, a rooster in the yard started cock-a-doodle-doo-ing. (As I've mentioned in earlier newsletters, roosters and chickens are everywhere here on Kauai.)

A few months ago, I was driving on one of the few four-lane highways (two lanes in each direction) here. There was construction up ahead, so we needed to merge. The car on my left safely pulled in front of me. He forgot to turn off his turn signal, so it kept blinking for many miles. I soon realized that the blinks were precisely in time with the song I was listening to on the radio. It seemed like the blinker was part of the percussion section. This synchronicity continued for the entire piece. It was so fun to see and hear. After a commercial, the next song began playing, and it, too, was exactly in sync with the blinker. I couldn't believe it! It only worked for the first verse, though. The chorus was slower, and so the beats no longer matched up. But it was amazing while it lasted.

Patti Strout and I have been best friends for over 50 years. We met in high school and were roommates in college, and we've been happily involved in each other's lives ever since. Patti visits me in Hawaii every couple of years. Several amazing coincidences happened when she was here in March of 2023. Here's the story of my favorite.

Bob Smith is a retired pastor here on Kauai who used to play the concertina and lead the singing in our Christmas Carol Sing Along with Harps concerts. I go out to lunch with Bob and his wife, Garey-Lea, several times a month. Patti has also become friends with them.

Bob often preaches at churches around the island when they need a substitute. A few days before Patti arrived, I called him to see if he would be preaching anywhere that weekend. He said he would be at a Hawaiian church in Hanapepe, about 30 minutes from me, so Patti and I went to the service on Sunday. It was a tiny church with only about 12 people in attendance. Everyone was very friendly. They gave us leis, and many people came by and introduced themselves to us. All of the hymns were sung in the Hawaiian language. I've gotten pretty good at pronouncing Hawaiian words if I can do it slowly, but these were said and sung very fast!

Bob's sermon happened to be "Staying in Tune with God." During the sermon, he walked to the piano and played a few chords, demonstrating harmony and dissonance. Later in the service, it was time for the pianist Cindy Combs to play a solo. She stood up and said: "If you play ukulele, you only have four strings to keep in tune. But let me show you something." She then walked behind the wall and brought out a small lap harp! She said, "This harp has 22 strings that I need to keep in tune. I just got it a few weeks ago. But when I heard the subject of today's sermon, I knew I had to learn to play something." She then played a simple hymn, and she did great! No one knew she had recently bought a harp and would bring it to church. Bob kept looking over at us, of course, with a look of amazement on his face. After playing the song, Cindy looked at Patti and asked, "Do you play the harp?" Patti pointed at me and said, "No, but she does." Cindy said, "Will you come up and play something?" So, I played "Amazing Grace." What an unlikely coincidence that I happened to be there on the only Sunday service that included a harp. It was so much fun.

Bob Smith at our 2017

Christmas concert.

Church pianist Cindy Combs is a multi-instrumentalist and an award-winning Hawaiian slack-key guitar player. This is the cover of her 2007 "Land of the Endless Summer" CD.

Patti and Sylvia in 1971 and 2023.

Lennon and McCartney

arranged by Sylvia Woods

including "With a Little Help

from My Friends"

PDF or book

15% off with Friends code

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Groovy Songs of the 60s

arranged by Sylvia Woods

including

"Old Friends"

PDF or book

15% off with Friends code

------------------------------

A Bouquet for Young Harpists

by Bonnie Goodrich

including

"Roller-Skating with Friends"

PDF or book

15% off with Friends code

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Harps and Friends

for harp and other instruments

by William Mahan

PDF

15% off with Friends code

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What a Friend we Have in Jesus

for pedal harp

by Louise Trotter

PDF

15% off with Friends code

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Midnight Fairies

by Gelsey Hughes

including "Friendship"

PDF

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Harping Cats and Dogs

by Kathryn Cater

including "Forest Friends"

PDF

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Gathering of Friends

by Carol Wood

PDF

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Friends Near and Far

by Carol Wood

PDF

15% off with Friends code

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15% off select sale items when you use the code word Friends

Our newsletter promo codes are redeemable online and are only valid for the products listed above in the monthly sale section. They are not valid for phone or email orders. This month's code word is Friends.

Here's how to get your newsletter discount at harpcenter.com:

#1. Put the items you want to purchase in your cart.

#2. On the page where you view the items in your cart, type this month's code word Friends in the "Enter Promo Code" box and click "Apply."

The actual price of the featured sale products on this page will then automatically change to reflect the discount. For example,

   Unit Price: $9.95 (the original price)

   Total Price: $8.46 (the discounted price)

You'll also see a note below the Promo Code box saying the name of the promo code you entered and the percentage amount of the discount.

REMEMBER: You must enter this month's code word Friends in the Promo Code box and click "Apply" on your shopping cart page by February 3, 2025, to get the discount!

If you forget, or if you have trouble adding it to your order, email Sylvia immediately.  

This offer expires at the end of the day on 2/3/2025.