Meetings and Partings

Today I said yet another good-bye, this time to my violin teacher. She was not the first, and if I can predict anything about my life, she will not be the last. It's only a matter of weeks until I say good-bye to my family as well. After that my grandparents will be next. Sometimes I get completely overwhelmed not only at how often I use the word 'good-bye', but also how well I understand it's meaning. At the same time, strangely enough, good-bye has taught me how often I use 'hello.' This is one of the most wonderful words in any language: with this one little five-letter word, acquaintances are made, friendships are built, adventures begun, and in some ways, life is started. These two words work together - for if we did not know good-bye, hello would not taste so sweet. Both teach us to grow and appreciate life.

As usual, I have the lyrics from some song running through my head, and they seem quite appropriate just now. Hello, Hello! I don't know why you say 'good-bye', I say 'hello'. I leave you, reader, to figure out where they came from, and also to remember how fortunate you are to have these two little words.

Du Brauchst ein Lied -Rolf Zuckowski

Time for another sample of one of my favorite songs, this time by Rolf Zuckowski. Enjoy~

Tomorrow

How would you live your life differently today if you knew that it was your last? What if you knew that tomorrow wouldn't come? Thinking this way adds a completely different perspective to life and the effects of our actions. Those who know that they only have a day or a week to live seize opportunities to change or to try something new with vigor and zeal. It takes staring death in the face for this to happen. We on the other hand are Christians... should it take something that drastic for us to live life at its fullest and for God's glory? Too often we worry about how we will appear to others. We want, in a way, to follow the herd. It takes the thought of no tomorrow to pull us out of this mindset. If you've ever read Moby Dick, you'll know of the character who lived as though he didn't know tomorrow. If you haven't read this novel, I suggest you find yourself a copy as soon as possible and read it cover to cover. Until then, so you're not left in the dark after what I'm going to say, I'll tell you that I'm thinking of the character Ahab. This man is the captain of the Pequod, and he's a fearless whaler. Many times, his crew accuses him of insanity and recklessness. He pursues the great white whale, Moby Dick, and he refuses to rest until he has defeated it. Ahab realizes that he will not always have tomorrow, and he seizes the moment to live life at its fullest potential. He is one of those rare fellows that sees what must be done and does it until he's satisfied - regardless of the crowd and popular opinion. So again I ask you: how would you change today if you knew that tomorrow wouldn't come?

Farewell Symphony

I encourage you, reader, to listen to this if you haven't already. Set aside some time for it, and when you do, take the opportunity to enjoy every phrase and passage. It's incredible the way Haydn crafted these notes to speak and the story behind this work is fascinating - if you haven't heard it, I encourage you to look it up. 

Enjoy~

Quotes for the Sake of Quotes

Here is a smorgasbord of quotes for you to enjoy. One of my favorite things to do is to collect good quotes (well, quotes which I think are good). It gives me time to rethink how I think when I read other people's thoughts, it provides me with medicine in the form of mirth, and besides, most of the time people can say things much better than I ever could. Enjoy~

The world can't end today because it's already tomorrow in Australia. -Charles Schulz

Why is it you only feel the thorns in your feet when you stop running? -William Pitt (Amazing Grace)

What he often sees causes him no surprise, even though he does not know how it comes about; but if something happens that he has never seen before he finds it sensational. -Cicero

Miracles and truth are necessary because the whole man must be convinced in body and soul. -Pascal

Faith certainly tells us what the senses do not, but not the contrary of what they see; it is above, not against them. -Pascal

A whole stack of memories never equal one little hope. -Charles Schulz

A rock is when you trip on it, you should have watched where you were going. -A Hole is to Dig

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. -C.S. Lewis

What is success? I think it is a mixture of having a flair for the thing that you are doing; knowing that it is not enough, that you have got to have hard work and a certain sense of purpose. -Margaret Thatcher

Nihil enim est simul et inventum et perfectum. -Cicero

To Use or Not to Use

So I've been wondering: what should we do about all of the insightful or thought provoking quotes from those who are unbelievers? The tendency is usually to shy away from anyone's words of wisdom if the person is not a Christian. Is this really the right approach, though? After all, Gandhi, Nietzsche, Camus, and every other human who ever said something of value was created in God's image. In my mind, it's part of common grace - the ability to say something notable, worth listening to - whether or not you're a Christian. Now this doesn't mean we should hang upon their every word and accept whatever they say - common sense can tell you that. The farther something comes from the Bible, the more it must be taken with a grain of salt. But I think the fear of listening to what these people have to say just because they're unbelievers is an area Christians need to grow in. God can use unusual sources to teach us, and I think if we measure what we hear with what is taught in the Bible, and we remember God's promise that He will not lead us astray, that we may find gold in unusual places.

More Peanuts

Yep, sometimes I feel like this. Maybe because we can express ourselves better when we're equipped with a bow and four strings, maybe because sometimes we seem to hide away from the rest of the world behind a set of keys, and maybe because we deal with any problems we're going through by bending over a score of notes. Welcome to the musician's world - maybe we aren't real people after all. ;^)

Road Work

The road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began, now far ahead the road has gone and I must follow if I can, pursuing it with eager feet until it joins some larger way, where many paths and errands meet, and whither then I cannot say. (The Fellowship of the Ring)

I love Bilbo's song spread out through the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I included the final modified verse in which he uses the word 'eager,' because it sounds more uplifting. Personally though, I've leaned more toward Frodo's version of 'weary' recently. Truth is, I'd love to know where the road will lead, what the final destination will be. I know God has a good road planned out for me, it's just that I'm still learning to lean on the walking stick He's equipped me with and go for it - even when I feel like sitting down, looking for a detour, or even turning around and backtracking. Where will the road lead? What paths and errands will I meet, and how will I face them? I hope I'll have the courage to meet them, and the endurance to conquer the obstacles along the way.

Hello June

I can't believe it's already June. I can't believe that time zips by so quickly. Furthermore, I still can't believe that the weekend I've looked forward to since last summer is over. It passed by like a dream. I can say with all certainty though, that it was better than the best dream could ever be because it was real. I was able to spend time with my best friends - it felt like Dante's Paradiso. If this sounds all muddled and flat, forgive me, reader. It's just that I can't find the right words to express how amazing it was. Some things are too incredible to put onto paper - ink and letters cannot match memories. That's what music is for. I think I'll go spend some time with my violin, and leave you to imagine how special my weekend was. :^)