ASSIGNMENTS IN LIFE

I have loved the arts and music since I was very young, but I never had the wonderful privilege of attending a symphony in concert until my children were teenagers and a friends invited me to share the pleasure of a concert with her. After that first conert, I recognized that I had not been enjoying one of the most beautiful gift given to humans-the gift of a Symphony in concert. I emerged from the concert hall as if in a dream, and the aura of it lingered with me for days. A well-executed concert can transport the listener until she is absorbed in the rise and fall of the music, the plaethora of emotions, the irresistible call of the instruments as they call to the delighted audience and to each other to come and join their skipping and spinning and dancing. The deep melancholy of the bass meld with the measured bleats of the wind section as the percussion instruments measure the rhythms with resonant exactness. Sometimes the cello players will emerge from the medley of the music to blend a deep strength of melody while the flutes chirp and the oboes contribute their depth, and they merge with the playful, light notes of the violin sections as they carry the orchestra into the depths of the music. Occasionally the beauty of a harp will dance lightly out of the piece for a few measures before merging again with the whole beauty of the harmony.

Our youngest daughter had a desire when very young to learn to play a violin, and she immersed herself into her music. We attended her musical events, starting with her early recitals, and on into her symphony concerts. While attending concerts in which she contributed her musical talent, I noted a variety of lessons that clearly illustrate life as we know it. At this juncture, I was also struggling to understand and embrace some of life's lessons myself. I was impressed with how the symphonies, as well as the concerts that they played, clarified certain important areas in our lives. First, I note that we have certain special Assignments in Life, and I will share these assignments with you. The next assignments are specific to the Conductor and the Concert Master, and the first lesson is In Anticipation of the Concert Master.