From Columbus to Aurora: How We Love

Around the country, people are trying to come to grips with the horrors of the shootings in Aurora, and trying to do something, anything, to help. In Columbus, Ohio, the 165 members of the Harmony Project choir quickly came together and in 24 hours recorded the single “How We Love,” dedicated to the victims of the shootings — represented by the twelve empty chairs in the video above.

You can download the song for a $1 contribution that goes to GivingFirst.org, which — with matching grants organized by the governor’s office — is going to groups working directly to affected families in Aurora.

“We recorded the track, ‘How We Love,’ written by acclaimed Nashville song writer Beth Nielsen Chapman,” explained David Brown, director of the Harmony Project, in a statement announcing the project. “The inspiration came from hearing President Obama say to the nation, ‘…Going forward, it’s about how we love.'”

The Harmony Project, which had presented “How We Love” at Columbus Bicentennial concerts this past week, set up a makeshift recording studio at the Columbus Firefighters Local 67 banquet hall in downtown Columbus yesterday afternoon; volunteer choir members started recording at 6 pm. By 7:30 p.m., Brown was in the editing suite with more volunteers to mix the track and edit a video of the recording session. All audio and video recording, production, social media and digital services were donated by local Columbus companies.

“It’s amazing, but not surprising, how Columbus has come together in the last 24 hours to do what we do best: help our fellow neighbors, whether that is across the street or across the country,” said Mayor Michael B. Coleman. “Let’s do what we can to help the families of Aurora begin their healing process.”

“How We Love” can be downloaded at www.HarmonyProject.com/HowWeLove for a $1 contribution to www.GivingFirst.org, a program of the Community First Foundation. Nonprofits helped by GivingFirst.org include the Aurora Mental Health Center, Arapahoe/Douglas Mental Health Network, Mental Health America of Colorado, Bonfils Blood Center Foundation, Metro Crisis Services, Inc., Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance, Safe2Tell and Denver Center for Crime Victims.

How We Love

Written by Beth Nielsen Chapman

Life has taught me this

Every day is new

And if anything is true

All that matters when we’re through is how we love

Faced with what we lack

Some things fall apart

From the ashes new dreams start

All that matters to the heart is how we love

How we love, how we love

From the smallest act of kindness

In a word, a smile, a touch

In spite of our mistakes

Chances come again

If we lose or if we win

All that matters in the end is how we love

How we love, how we love

I will not forget your kindness

When I needed it so much

Sometimes we forget

Try to be so strong

In this world of right and wrong

All that matters when we’re gone

All that mattered all along

All we have that carries on…is how we love

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