Music - one of God's greatest gifts!

I was thinking today how much music is a part of my life. I guess it has been with me ever since I was born - perhaps even before. My dad is an excellent pianist and no doubt he may have played the piano some in my parents house while my mother was still carrying me. Perhaps that exposure to music may have seeded some inate deeply rooted love that would last a life time. I guess it's hard to know for sure.

Certainly another possible source of the muse within me is most certainly my dear sweet grandmother. She gave her life to the passing on of the gift of music to more piano students than I can even imagine. I know her house was nearly always in use by yet another student. As a kid, I saw her teach school age children who would come over for lessons immediately after school and even adult men and women who decided to learn the piano. She used to tell me that as soon as I was old enough to stand, she placed my play-pen (yes they called it that back then) next to the piano and I would rock back and forth to the music as she and the students played the piano (apparently I wasn't critical - then.....). Of course as soon as she could set me on the piano bench, my grandmother began my education for the pianoforte.

It was probably around age 14 or so that I learned I could play things for myself whether sheet music was involved or not. It was then that I departed from the formal route for piano mastery and proceeded on my own course of self indulgence. It has been a heart-felt love ever since. I love the sound of a piano and the feel of a piano. I like to sit in a completely dark room and just play it with my eyes closed. It is relaxing to the spirit and calming to the soul.

My mother used to tell me that she could tell by the music I played after I came home from school and sat down at the piano in the living room, exactly what type of mood occupied my mind that day. If I played dirges, then I was sad. If I played loud expository and dynamic rifts, then it meant I was angry and working it out. If I played mellow laid back elevator music or light rock, it meant I was happy, content and feeling peaceful.

I was exposed as a child to many diverse forms of music. My parents had old 78 LPs that included Rose Marie Clooney (singing "It Takes a Long Long Train With a Red Caboose to Carry My Blues Away" - no joke) as well as famous conductors of the time like Guy Lombardo, Benny Goodman, and Tommy Dorsey. They later added some 33 RPM LPs which included Eddie Arnold, Englebert Humperdink, and Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.

Of course I grew up with the 50s, 60s, and early 70s bands too. My musical "tastes" as a result are very diverse and that is the way I have tried to raise my kids. Over the years we have shared country, rock, easy listening, and even operata music with them and they have each embraced different musical instruments along the way.

So, today I was just thinking about how important music is to us. I really believe God loves music Himself. After all, He created it and shared it as a great gift to us and He even calls upon us to employ it in our worship to Him. I'm sure He knows how music is able to reach out and touch our very souls. It can project such incredible passion including happiness, sorrow and peace. It can get our motors reving or help us fall asleep after a long hard day. Indeed, even at times when we find it quite impossible to communicate verbally with another human being, we may find expression and relief through music.

So, I would just like to say "thank you Lord for the gift of music. It has been a life long blessing to me and will remain so until the day I pass from this existence to the glorious music of Heaven promised in the Bible. I look forward to that day when I can stand in your presence with the host of heaven and sing your praises. Until that day, I will enjoy doing the same here each time I assemble with the Church and in between, I'll probably knock out a few more tunes on the piano or the guitar."

I hope that you too have found a special place in your heart for music. It can be the healing balm that your soul needs on cloudy days and the outward expression of the inexpressible on days when happiness fills your heart to bursting.

Love to all,

Jerry