I didn’t get a chance to do a video for this week’s post–hopefully I can for next week. My “videographer” was busy! 
Today I was listening to two of my daughters play a piano and violin duet in the living room. I looked up at the pictures of the children on the wall…..looked out the window that has the same curtains we put up 20 something years ago. Sitting in the rocker we’ve had for 21 years. The one I’ve rocked our children in.
I got kind of nostalgic…thinking back to the many times I helped my girls practice their violins and cellos in this very room. The tears. The wishing we could tear our hair out….
And the fun!
I remembered years ago, when our children were really little, how Dallas and I discussed music for them. He said music was something they could take with them into all of life. I played flute in high school, took a little piano, had one semester in college where I took music theory, and I sang.
We started lessons, and after a few years he suggested we sing for the local senior citizens’ “Meals on Wheels” gathering. They enjoyed it, we had a fairly good time, and it gave us a reason to practice. Of course, I had to come up with things we could do together–it used to be pretty tough to come up with 20 minutes’ worth of things to sing/play! (Now it’s hard to limit it to 20 minutes! LOL!)
We added color coded handbells….character songs….eventually some of them could read music, but I still had to “arrange” some things more simply so we could all play together–those college music theory classes sure came in handy!
All this was going through my mind (at lightning speed, of course!), and I thought how it has been worth it.
Every dime spent on instruments and lessons.
Every “talk” we had to have about practicing.
Every “want to pull my hair out trying to make this work” arranging.
Every giggling, slap-happy, “it’s getting too late to practice but we have to” session!
Every reward system we came up with.
I wish I could describe the incredible feeling of peace and joy that came over me as I sat there, listening to the beautiful duet my daughters were playing!
I just want to encourage you—don’t wait until they’re older and can practice on their own.
Whether it’s music lessons, learning to cook, sewing, serving……find something you can do together.
Even if you’re “not musical”, you can still support and do what you can to help foster your children working together in their talents.
Maybe your strength is serving together. Or making something together. Or making food for families in need. Or making cards and visiting shut-ins.
You get the idea. Music is wonderful and worth every bit of effort and financial investment. But if you’re not “musical”, don’t let that stop you!
I pray you may someday look around and see the fruit of your efforts….fruit that you might have thought was soooo far away in coming.
Mama, time goes faster than you realize!
One of the best things you can do is find something you can do together. Think of your strengths, or something you want to do or learn to do. Ask our loving Abba Father for ideas. He will give them to you!
And then go do it!
Yes, even if you sometimes want to pull your hair out!
Even if you wonder if it will ever go smoothly!
Even if you are stretched to your limit in creativity to make it work!
It will be worth it all, Mama! And someday you will have such wonderful joy and peace in your soul as you watch your children blossom beautifully and have fun–
TOGETHER!