3.04.2010

"you raise me up"

i play the violin. most of you reading this are probably aware of this fact. beginning at age 5, the violin has been a part of my life longer than i can remember. its just something i've always done and honestly, its a major part of who i am. kinna hard to explain its depth and complexity, but lets just say it is forever imprinted upon my heart. for years my family and i have traveled around playing together. yes, just like the partridge family minus the bus. we actually could use one. you should see all six of us (and sometimes caleb) piled in the mini van with all of our equipment. pretty funny. but we have had the most unique and wonderful (lame word) opportunities. it would take years of blogs for me to tell you about all of them. i will however, share a recent experience that really brought things back into perspective for me. a longtime friend of ours was about to end his struggle diabetes and was spending his final minutes in the icu of the local hospital. this man had been a tremendous blessing to our family and was deeply loved by each of us. when mom got the call informing her of his status, she and i knew we had to go and see him. i took my violin to see if he would like to hear some music one last time. as we entered his room, our emotions got the better of us and tears welled up in both of our eyes. his condition was worsening rapidly, and we knew he didn't have much longer. i removed my violin from its case and began to softly play "amazing grace". and that's when it hit me. this is what music is all about. this is the reason i play the violin. all those years i spent practicing and performing and even the hard years spent in college getting a violin performance degree were all for this reason right here. right now. sharing a song with someone about to go be with the Lord in order to give them hope and peace is indescribable. if my life ended today, it would be complete.

playing music for the sick and dying has been a part of our ministry for years, but sometimes its meaning just hits you in the face. i needed a reminder. and i got one.

i love playing on stage with my siblings. their talent, exuberance, enthusiasm, and drive encourage and inspire me. we are a tight unit that feeds off of each other and spurs one another towards greatness. last night as we were playing at "the zone", i had another moment. kiemel (i'll usually refer to her as kim), suggested we play "you raise me up" by josh groban. let's just say that senior year in high school i ADORED him and his music. the melody and the words of this particular song are beautiful. so as we are playing the sweet, familiar notes, and are looking out over the university of alabama's football field (2009 BCS national champions), i'm overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity to be on this amazing journey with my family. i am right where i am supposed to be. and the satisfaction in knowing that is irreplaceable.

i've decided to end each post with a link to whatever song is currently on my heart and mind. i bet you already know the one for today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnztMhtUF6o

1 comment:

  1. Beautiful, inspiring and perfectly written to lift me to our Savior. Thank you. Matt

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