Page 7 - Good News February 2009 paper

magine this… A concert violinist is performing a difficult piece in
front of a large audience. Suddenly there is a loud snap that
Ireverberates throughout the auditorium.
The audience immediately knows that a string has broken and fully
expects the concert to be suspended until another string, or
instrument, is brought to the musician... But instead, the violinist
composes herself, closes her eyes and then signals the conductor to
begin again. The orchestra resumes where they had left off and now
the musician plays the music on three strings.
In her mind she works out new fingering to compensate for the
missing string. A work that few people can play well on four strings,
the violinist with the broken string plays on three. When she finishes,
an awesome silence hangs in the room. And then as one, the crowd
rises to their feet and cheers wildly.
The violinist smiles and wipes perspiration from her brow. When
silence returns to the great room, she explains why she continued to
play in spite of a broken string.
"You know," she says, still breathless, "sometimes it is the artist's
task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have
left."
We know what she means, don't we?
Maybe we've lived most of our lives and we have only a little time left.
Can we still make music? we still make music?
Can
Maybe disease has robbed us of our capacity to work.
Can
Can we still make music? we still make music?
Perhaps a financial loss has left us impoverished.
Can
Can we still make music? we still make music?
Or maybe a meaningful relationship has ended and we feel alone in the
world.
Can
Can we still make music? we still make music?
There will come a time when we all experience loss. Like the violinist,
will we find the courage to discover just how much music we can still
make with what we have left? How much good we can still do?
How much joy we can still share? For I am convinced that the world,
more than ever, needs the music only you can make. And if it takes
extra courage to make the music, many will applaud your effort.
For some people have lost more than others, and these brave souls
inspire the rest of us to greater heights.
Just how much music can you make with what you have left?
Let the Music Begin...