Life Lately and the Waiting Game

      Sunday evening is here and we are at the beginning of a new week. Life is good and beauty abounds. We have been having some of the most ridiculous February weather. It has been in the 40's and 50's. It is so warm and when that is coupled with sunshine, it just doesn't get much better. On Friday, I took the kids out and we enjoyed the sunshine. They had to wear snow pants and boots due to the mounds of melting snow, but other than that we were in shirt sleeves and sweatshirts.
      It's also getting lighter in the mornings, to the point that the sun is pretty much up by the time I get to school in the morning and I'm starting to hear birds singing. There is something about those first sounds of bird song in the late winter that always fill me with joy and peace. I am the first person to get to school in the mornings, and I will often get out of my car, stop, and just listen to the sweet sound. It makes me smile.
      Speaking of school, things are starting to get real around here. My sub starts this week, I will be working with her for about a week before I am done(unless Baby Williams decides to come earlier than his due date, which is less than 2 weeks away!!!!) It is a little bittersweet. I am so excited about becoming a mom and all that but I also know that I am going to miss to Heartland Christian Academy and teaching. It has been a truly amazing blessing to work there. I think God pretty much tailor made that job for me. I was just out of college and starting to think that I wouldn't find a job that year when I got called for a interview a week before school started. I have had such a wonderful time gathering stories, creating memories, laughing over the things students say and do, and building friendships.
     But like I said, Baby Williams is due in less than 2 weeks and the excitement is mounting. I have been thinking about how waiting for a baby is unlike waiting for anything else because the date you are counting down to is really just a rough estimate. Who knows when he will decide to show his face. I can hardly wait. I've decided that elephants must be his thing because he already has three of them as well as a couple blankets with elephants on them. I'm good with that.

    I have discovered that making double thick receiving blankets is a rather quick and easy project, plus they are fun to personalize with some embroidery. I started this one yesterday. 

      And then there is music. I don't know about you, but music has a way of imprinting in my brain in a very strong way. I associate times in my life with the different songs that I was listening to at the time. Also, when I find a song I like, I tend to listen to it on repeat(sometimes to the chagrin of the people around me). One artist that I particularly like is Owl City. I was first introduced to it by My Love before we even started dating. In some ways, I would say that we fell in love to a sound track of Owl City, and it continues to be music that is able to take me to my happy place. I bring this up, because today the Lovely Keren Ruth sent me a text to let me know about a new Owl City song she had discovered, it has been on repeat around here this evening. Go ahead and enjoy!

     As for things I've been learning lately. In my journey of changing my perspective and finding Jesus in a new way, I'm coming to the realization that I simply cannot listen to the voice of worry that so often pops up in my head. It seems like this should be common sense, and believe me, my husband has told me this on many occasions, but I am silly and sometimes I need to come to realizations on my own in order for them to stick. I just can't give that voice the time of day, no matter how persistent it is. Also, I need to be extra vigilant to guard my thoughts when I am tired. Because when I am tired, I am completely irrational and loose my line of defense against fear. 

    Another thing I realized the other day(Though My Love has tried to get me to see this before) is that I simply have got to stop looking backwards. I get so caught up in the past, in whether I should or should not have done something that I trip myself up in my forward motion. It's like I try to move forward by walking backwards. Sure I may make it a few steps, but inevitably, I run into something or fall over. If I am going to move forward, then that is where my eyes have to be. 

     Well, that about sums it up for now. May the week ahead of you be as lovely as the weather around here as been. Keep your eyes forward and remember that The One who created music is writing the soundtrack of your life and it's a beautiful thing! Happy Sunday. 

"Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life." ~Omar Khayyam 

The Legacy of Music

      I love music. Listening to it and playing it, though I definitely don't play as much as I should. Music has been a gift in my life. Literally and figuratively. As a kid, my piano lessons were a gift. My grandparents gave me my guitar and my other grandparents have said that I can have their piano now that my love and I have a house of our own.  
      I had a wonderful piano teacher growing up. She is the one who played the music for my wedding. My college choir director/music theory teacher was also awesome. Those years in choir were great and I missed it terribly when I was done. I have many fond memories of choir tours. Such a wonderful combination of music and friends.
      I am now teaching piano lessons myself, and it is sometimes crazy to think back all those years to my first lessons. Now the role is reversed and I sit in the chair by the piano bench, writing out practice notes in a spiral notebook much like my teacher did for me.
     

Happy Friday. 
     


 “Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent”
~Victor Hugo

The Songs

     Your life is a song. A song that is just you. The notes and melody are uniquely yours. This song dances through every moment of your life with sharps and flats, accidentals and grace notes. It is your song. As I have been thinking about our lives and the music they create, I began to think about how when we share our lives with others, the individual melodies begin to blend and harmonize creating an entirely new piece. Thus, each relationship has a unique song all its own. There are songs of love and songs of friendship and family. Songs of shared moments and common ground.
    My song has blended with many different ones over the course of my life. Friendships that have been short and sweet, little musicals that only play for a time, and others that continue on, filling the air with music. Sometimes, melodies that you would never put together by choice somehow begin to intertwine and something beautiful comes from the unexpected. A new song that no one would have thought of.
     Your song does not necessarily remain static either. As you grow and change, the melody of you swells and grows. There is always a common thread, a repeating motif that holds the very essence of you, but the notes and tempo may, on occasion, change. That is why it is so beautiful. The music is always flowing and changing. Always you but always new.
     The wonderful thing about sharing life with people is that sometimes, the good in others rubs off on us. Our song begins to take on a small piece of another's song. Thus, even when you are alone, there is a piece of the other with you. So today, start to realize the beauty, not only of your song, but also the songs of the people in your life. And most importantly, listen for and enjoy the unique songs of your friendships, your marriage, your family. Happy Friday

"Music is forever; music should grow and mature with you, following you right on up until you die." ~Paul Simon

Music

     What do you think of when you hear the word music? There must be a million different answers to that question. Music has been a big part of life around here lately. Instruments are frequently picked up, notes strummed and voices blended. Fingers are getting calloused and fun is had.
     Music is a lot like life. Sometimes we hit the wrong notes, need to be tuned or just can't seem to find the right key, but it's also fun and beautiful. Life, like music, often holds way more potential than we tap into. So often I sit down at the piano and play what my fingers know, but there is so much more music within both my hands and the piano, if only it could find a way out. Life and music hold the ability to be stretched and built upon. Life is flowing with ups and downs and so is music. Music is full of facets and different sides and so is life. From the deepest of bases to the most lilting soprano, the sounds twist and dance themselves into a symphony and that is life. Have a lovely afternoon.

“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent”
 ~Victor Hugo

“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” ~Aldous Huxley

My Home

     My home is small, tiny actually. A little side apartment in a old yellow house. There are two bedrooms, a kitchen in the corner and a living room. A house with a tiny table for two and musical instruments for many more. And today, there are 10 people packed in. Camp chairs are out, cookies are being baked in the kitchen and music is being made. The guitar strums, the ukulele hums and voices soar. Life is beautiful. So today, I hope that your home is full of good things no matter how big or small it may be. Happy Sunday.

"The home should be the treasure chest of living." ~Le Corbusier 

Music

         I love music. It is like an invisible ribbon that dances around you and brings a little magic to the ordinary. Someone once told me that my husband and I were chronic music listeners. Meaning that we always have it playing. And I will admit, it's true. One of my favorite things is singing at Church. I love to open the song book and watch as the notes on the page come to life. There is something simply beautiful that happens when a multitude of voices come together and the parts blend to create a masterpiece of sound. Then, when the piano drops out and all that is heard is voices, I can't help but smile. It's beautiful, it's simple, it's a gift. So, no matter what you are dealing with today, crank up the music, close your eyes and sing out loud. Allow yourself to get lost in the sound, the dance, the wonder. And know that the One who gave us the music sings over you! Happy Saturday.

Zephaniah 3:17
"The Lord your God is with you;
      his power gives you victory.
   The Lord will take delight in you,
      and in his love he will give you new life.
   He will sing and be joyful over you."

"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent." ~Victor Hugo

The Song

It's a cool spring evening. Step outside close your eyes and listen, what do you hear? Do you hear the wind in the trees, the gentle waves on the lake, the sweet song of a pond full of bull frogs, the beautiful silence of the night. It says in the Bible that even the rocks will cry out in praise to the Lord. And that is just what I hear when I listen. I hear all of creation singing to the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. It is like the world is one big symphony that never ends. It started a long time ago and it's going to keep on going. How can you know this and not smile. And you know what I think, I think that laughter praises God too. When we laugh and let joy come forth, it is like a song, bubbling forth from our hearts. And that makes God smile. So, take a minute and listen to the symphony of life and join in. 

Psalm 98:6b "Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King."