Jewells of Thought

Today is a day for remembering. Family is so important we need to remember the holes in our lives. The people who are noticeably gone, but not forever gone from our memories. The good that these people were for us needs to be remembered. It is a therapeutic and healing mechanism.

When I was working in the Compliance Office in college, I got to listen in on some intriguing conversations. My New Testament Professor and the Dean of Education were talking with my Compliance Officer Supervisor. They were talking about mourning parents. My professor then mentioned his father had been gone for years, but there were still times it would hit him that he was gone. Then he said we never stop mourning we just have to live with it.

Today is a day for both sides of my family to reflect on both of my uncles. On my mom’s side this was her baby brother’s birthday he’s now been gone for nearly 11 years. Then on my dad’s side his brother-in-law died 15 years ago. Where does the time go? It doesn’t feel like it should have been that long in either case.

The good thing is my uncles were God-fearing men. We don’t have to wonder where they are today. That is a blessing for our families. This is the beauty of being a family that has been anchored in Christ.

A beautiful ending to a poignant day was Church tonight. There is nothing as special as being with other Christians for a Church service. The song we sang tonight? Sing Hosanna!’ A great way to start the service. After church was concluded more musical fun was on it’s way.

One of our two lovely Church pianists have accompanied me many times over the years. They have both been a blessing to me. Tonight we went over two songs one to sing and play my clarinet with and the other to be just the clarinet and piano. I am really excited after practicing this evening. My musical passion being unleashed feels wonderful again. The Battle Hymn of the Republic instrumentally with a gorgeous piano melody being complemented by my clarinet hopefully will be as good for the listeners as it will be for us to perform it.

Music has always been my way to get through difficult times. Practice tonight was exactly what I needed after a solemn day, but everyone is the same. What do you do to work through your feelings and needing to process them in a productive and creative way?