Today my son hijacked one of my guitars. He asked if he could “see it for a minute.” Several hours later he finally returned it. If guitars had feelings my Yamaha classical guitar would be very, very happy right now. Something remarkable happens when you hand an instrument to a master. It can be an old, dinged up thing with strings or valves or reeds or skins…but when the master plays it, it gets transformed into something wonderful. Well, my guitar is in very good condition and it “sang” under Jared’s masterful playing. Not only did he play it, he wrote and recorded a very mellow, jazzy tune with it, adding in piano and percussion for good measure. He played it for me a little while ago.
I’m grateful for this time I’ve been able to spend with my son. Though we ended up living together again out of financial necessity, it has been a gift to both of us in more ways than we could probably count. Music is one of those gifts that I have in common with both my kids. Though Michal and I are each pretty good musically (Michal is a wonderful singer-songwriter and plays a pretty mean guitar in her own right), Jared really is a maestro. He started banging on pots with spoons at around age 2, and today he plays many instruments, though his favorites seem to be guitar and piano. He plays across many genres–rock, jazz, classical, and many others. He has developed his gift into real talent, one that I hope he’ll find a way to share with the world. The world needs to hear it.
In fact, the world needs each of us offering our gifts for the greater good. I hope for each of us that we can share our gifts and talents with the broader world. Today I had the nerve to say something about being “older” like I don’t still have a lot to contribute to the world. That’s just nuts! Periodically, in my sometimes isolated, frustrating, and narrowly-focused world of job hunting I have gotten demoralized, feeling not so much like I don’t still have things I can offer the world, but wondering if I will get the chance to prove I still have them. I’m still working on that one, but remain hopeful that I’ll sort out how to get myself back out there. In the meantime, I’ll keep doing what I’ve been doing–volunteering, writing this blog, offering my gifts in whatever ways I am able.
I am grateful for many things today–for music, for the love and support of my siblings, for good friends and for continuing to develop patience and resilience as I continue to walk this path. And I am grateful to have two pretty awesome kids. Life is good.
