holy smoke

Allergies kept me from singing with the choir today -- a second Sunday in a row where I sat in the pews. The church was full, and I found a seat in the back. Given my distance from the incense on this festive day and the current state of my my allergies, I was glad to not get the wafts of smoke that the choir was getting.

Once when we were singing an anthem, the thurifer stood in the side doorway next to the altar, watching us. It was a struggle not to cough during our singing. The choir gets it anyway during the liturgy on these occasions when we use incense, but this was a moment when it was not required.

But we have switched to an incense that isn't so hard on the nose and throat. A good friend in the choir who is highly allergic bravely participated in a test to see if it made her difficult to breath. Amazingly, it didn't.