music.

i cannot explain my love for music. at times it overwhelms my soul.
sometimes my only response is to dance.
sit in silence.
sing at the top of my lungs.
lift my hands.
laugh.
just let the tears fall.

something that beautiful could only be created by Someone who delights in blessing me.

i have played piano and violin for the greater part of my life. I used to hate taking lessons. I took hour long violin lessons weekly, and used to have two one-hour lessons of piano a week. I was taught by about five violin teachers. I was instructed in piano by one of the most amazing pianists. She was in her eighties and legally blind.

there were tears.

there were performances.

there were promises to never play again if i wasn't made to by my mom.

and yet tonight i sat down at a piano. it was a beautiful baby grand. I cannot play "Falling Leaves" or "Three Pieces by Carl Czerny" or "Edelweiss Glide". Not anymore. Sure I could stumble through it. But i am not the musician i once was.

so i began to play something else. and sing.

i do not have an amazing voice. I can stay in tune. but i have no range. (the reason why I was tenor in choir). but i enjoy sitting by myself and playing and singing.

i express my emotions through music. there is so much soul and beauty that can flow from the fingers to the keys of a piano. i have laughed while playing piano.

i have cried.

when i am driving i always have music going. i pick it to fit my mood. in fact I am going to share a secret with you. sometimes if I have just experienced something that overwhelms me with sadness, or lifts my soul with joy, or fills my belly with burning anger or blinds my view with despair, I will often take a moment and find a song.

i don't have a go-to song. I just scroll through til I find one with lyrics that either fit my mood or counter it if it needs to change.

My brother once told me there is a song for every moment in life. I have found this to be generally true. whether lyrically or musically...there really is. and I haven't even begun to scratch the musical surface.

It is one of the most beautiful art-forms to me. I can only imagine the delight God takes in the music. people all over the world play music. many do not even acknowledge the One who created it. They dedicate their lives to perfecting their art. Many use it for blaspheming and defaming all that is good and right and sacred. This saddens my heart. music is a powerful medium for communication.

some people don't listen to much music. every time I hear that, I inwardly gasp. how could you NOT listen to music?! I understand not everyone has a connection to it like I do. But take a moment. find a symphony recording (or better yet, GO to the symphony) and just close your eyes and listen to the harmony of instruments. sit down at a piano and pick out some notes. it doesn't need to be beautiful.

"make a joyful noise unto the Lord..."

have joy in your heart. make music. listen to it. sing it. bask in its beauty. enjoy its simplicity. stand in awe of its complexity. relish its depth. or delight in its shallowness. it really is all things to all people.

and if you're gonna be in heaven with me, be prepared to enjoy it for all eternity! =)

p.s. sorry for the choppiness of this post. I just wrote as I thought...and didn't edit it at all.