amazing grace

a month or so ago, i happen to pass by megamall and found my friend carol and her band ( pinikpikan ) performing at the lobby. it's been years since i last saw her. carol bello is a small woman, but once she gets behind the microphone and sing, her voice exudes so much energy and power that you'll only notice her height once she steps off stage.




there was a time when we had bible study at our home. we were sitting just inside our gate and during the closing prayer, a friend started playing the intro of 'amazing grace' on the guitar. carol started singing the melody and the rest of my friends began humming the tune in the background. we got caught up so much on the hymn that when we opened our eyes at the end of the song, we were surprised to find a passerby standing on our gate and clapping his hands. it came about that he was on his way to one of the houses in our neighborhood when he heard carol singing and was compelled to seek where it was coming from. from then on, we have a nickname for carol - amazing grace.

so in case you ever meet her in person, and there is a guitarist near at hand, ask her to sing 'amazing grace' for you. the lyrics, the clean acoustic sound of the guitar strings and the power of carol's voice that evoke equal parts longing and passion will surely blow you away.