Music at any level can be a true joy. It reminds me of one of the beauties of the beautiful game, soccer. You can be totally ignorant of the laws of the game and still enjoy it. Kids with little understanding of the strategies or techniques of the game can have a truly enjoyable experience on a weekend playing the game, not to mention the entertainment value for the on-lookers. Yet I rewind over and over certain plays from the English league games I watch in complete awe of the level of skill required to do what they do. It requires skill but also determination. A player who is on the field for the whole 90 minutes will often run over 6 miles during the course of the game. Much of that time is spent testing the defence and looking for the best way to attack the goal. A great build-up of several passes and lots of hard work will often come to naught. But if you have the stamina to keep attacking you will eventually be rewarded with a goal. Not that different, I suppose, from all the plays and strategies that go into getting into the end-zone at an American football game. Music, even in its simplest form, can be immensely enjoyable. My granddaughter needed to practice her clarinet tonight. She indicated that she just needed to play some. No particular assignment or anything. Well, while she was getting out her instrument I figured out what notes she could play to accompany a song I like to play on the guitar. She had to learn a couple of new notes but we were soon on our way through the song. Then I decided to see about scaring up the ol' trumpet that had been purchased some years ago. Sure enough, as mis-fortune would have it, I found it. As my granddaughter and I played a couple of simple duets and her enthusiasm became more and more evident, I realized what a great blessing music can be. Will she write or perform great masterpieces? As wonderful as that would be, it does not affect the great time we had this evening in our living room. We are planning for an encore performance in the near future. I remember stories about my Uncles wanting to stay home from the movies to play music with their mom and dad. They eventually made a living with their instruments in New York playing for Broadway plays. But would those times have been any less enjoyable if they had pursued other careers? Nope. And so music has found a way, once again, to enrich my life. Thank you, Lord, for music. You are the author and finisher of my faith and the writer of the most marvellous symphonies.
