Praise to the Lord! I am sitting in front of my fireplace, enjoying a rainy evening safe and sound in my home with my son. He has given me time to read His word, blog and be with family and be still on a Sunday afternoon/evening. I have so much. How dare I ever complain?
Part of my day was reading Ecclesiastes. I did not absorb it at other times of my life, just like the rest of the Bible. I believe the Life Applications Bible has helped me immensely. I read that portion typically in addition to scripture. Like many parts of the Bible, you really have to be spiritually prepared to read it and understand it. And take it lightly if you do not yet understand it or are disturbed by what you read. You will some day understand it. I believe that.
Some of my posts are a little heavy and certainly I have so many ideas to blog about in the future that are light and enjoyable. I keep a running lists of topics for future blogs, and I get ideas throughout the day and night. Either in dreams, at my desk at work, at church or just doing daily tasks at home. The silence is golden and I make a point to have as little noise as possible when possible. Light music is so enjoyable compared to advertisers telling me what to buy or watch on the TV. And the content of the program in between the commercials is so often questionable. I have a 12 yr old at home and I am trying very hard to at least make my home a safe haven of sorts. The world out there is pretty rough. I have been condemned for "sheltering Ross too much". That is not true. It is my job to shelter him to some extent. He will have amble opportunity to find out for himself what is out there.
My house has no clocks that chime or tick tock. There is not 1-2 barking dogs. There is not 2-3 TV's on at once. There is not loud talking or yelling. If the TV is on and no one is watching it, I turn it off. I sometimes wonder if I was born to the right family because our home growing up was noisy and hectic. My uncle from Texas was an antique clock dealer and we had approximately 6 clocks that chimed or cuckoo'ed. I had four sisters but I preferred to play alone with my toys and pets. I just desired peace. I sought out peace. And it is a demand I have in my current home. I tell my kids and others that I will have a house of peace. Period. I have worked too hard to maintain peace. And now the Lord has given me such peace in my heart. Praise you Lord!
I had such a wonderful time as a kid, playing by myself. I loved to go to bed early and get up early. (extremely early). These habits have stayed with me. I used to set my alarm on Saturdays at 6am. I did this to watch Bugs Bunny cartoons. I taped with cassette the episodes. I would lay close to the console TV and record it, trying not to wake anyone up. I did this also to enjoy the classical and broadway music that accompanied the episodes. This interest in music later inspired me to play the piano with such passion. I just love good music. My mom seemed to notice my love for music that was not popular with most 8 year olds. So, when I asked for dance lessons, she said piano lessons. Thank you for that, mom! I still have every piece of sheet music that I ever played or owned since age 8. I am amazed at the selections I played at that early age. I remember mom calling my music teacher, or writing in my music diary the songs that she wanted me to play next. And my piano teacher would order the sheet music. I'd bring it home and play it. I had never heard of many of these songs. Mom would assist. She'd explain the dynamics. And that is cool, because the dynamics are spelled out for the musician on the sheets of paper, but to have someone stand beside you and explain where to play soft or loud or with what emotion is an experience. And it was my mother doing that.
I taught my mom to play piano. I tried to teach anyone that was interested how to play piano. I would put little kids that visited our house up to the piano and give them a lesson. I remember putting the cat and dogs paws on the keyboard or my dolls hands!
My mom insisted that she taught herself piano. We will leave it at that. I have the proof of the pencil marks on the sheet music of my instruction. Why she wouldn't just surrender and claim me as her teacher is beyond me. She was so talented and so determined. She would play hours a day and I would play 45 min. to 2 hours a day. My poor sister. The piano was in her bedroom!
My start with piano after the foiled dance lesson request included me walking 1/4 mile to my neighbors to play on their piano. Mom and dad said I needed to show them commitment before they would buy a piano. So, I walked or rode my bike up that steep hill and played on their very old and large upright grand. Elsie and Bud were the best neighbors anyone could have. And they had Pepsi and Snickers in the fridge for treats for us! What neat people and so loving. I never wanted to go home when I went to their house. Fried pork chops so often for supper.
It took approximately 9 months, if memory serves me right, for my commitment to shine through and now a piano would be available for me. It was a very large upright grand as well. I used to take it apart to experiment with the sound. I would take the lower panel off (large panel of wood just behind the pedals) and raise the top lid. I would take a flashlight and just study its parts. I actually messed with the stirrups and hammers at times if they acted up. I did this quite gingerly. It seemed to improve whatever the problem was.
Along with the piano and my musical interest was just a simple, fairy-like attitude. I loved to talk to the flowers and pets and toys. And if I played in the long grass in the grove, I would imagine such incredible journeys, laying in the grass, escaping tigers and bad guys. My doll, Drowsey was in tow. Baby Beans doll was lucky sometimes to get to come along.
I was quite the tree climber and tree house maker. I was making things all the time out of scrap wood and old junk. I was not afraid of heights, and I could out climb my sister. She would get so mad at me. I am now cautious of heights. I think the only thing that bugged me was jumping off of our shed. My ankles ached when they hit the ground.
We had a creek very near our house. Parts of it would freeze in the winter and we always had a pair of ice skates that fit. Ice Castles was a big movie then, and of course, this fairy would skate until her feet blistered, trying to remake the movie. Singing and skating. My ankles again hurt!
Oh, the joys of childhood. I am thankful for the most part that I was raised in the country. I missed my friends, especially in the summer, but your imagination really gets exercise as a kid in the country. It all seemed so big. The cottonwood trees, the barns, the distance from the tree house to the safety of our house.
I continued with this childlike spirit as an adult. An adult that has endured great pain. Through the pain, I remember really noticing the moon when I was approximately 26 years old. And the beauty of an inky black sky. And sunrises and sunsets. I vocally (to myself mostly) still comment on these miracles in nature, provided by our Creator. I just saw a dove like bird in a window near our stairway at work. I had just had a phone call that upset me and I was taking the steps down to the mail room. There was a gift from God. A lovely dove looking at me on 3rd floor. I said hi to it. And then I thanked God for that precious gift during a painful morning.
I will continue to be a fairy. I will enjoy talking to things that can't talk back to me. My cat, flowers, things I am taking photos of. I say hi to my house when I come home from work. I wave and say hi to my parents when I drive by Garden of Memories.
Why are you waiting to be a child in this harsh world? Everyone deserves a childhood. If you were not granted a fair shake at that as a youngster, start it now. Show your children how simple it is to be happy. How silly we can be. The Lord loves His children. He wants us to come to Him with a child-like faith. Please, enjoy while you are here. Enjoy the ride. Tell the world to wait!
Praise to our Lord and Savior! Praise to Him above all things. Let us enjoy these earthly things, but to remember, they are only on loan.
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