Various instruments are available, and my musical instrument of choice is the piano.
My mom told me that one day, at age 4, I sat down at the piano and began to play. Simple, easy but nevertheless, a song. Thus began my lifetime love affair with the piano! Lessons commenced and practicing was a joy. Hours would pass and I would still be playing the piano.
Music has been and continues to be, a major part of my life.
The music in the tenderness of a lover’s voice plays a gentle melody in our hearts. A child’s first words cause our emotions to fly and soar as we experience overwhelming joy. Our ears are the instruments that enable us to hear those precious sounds.
Gazing at the majesty of a sunrise or sunset fills us with awe.
The intricate patterns found on each snowflake cause us to stop in amazement when considering each snowflake has been individually and uniquely designed!
The innocence of a child’s face, the diamond sparkles of ice on tree leaves, the steam rising from a boiling kettle – these are a few blessings we receive from our eye instrument.
We touch and feel the velvet softness of a rose petal. The warmth of clothes from the dryer. Corduroy ridges of a shirt, the smoothness of silk.
The body is an instrument made up of many instruments to give life amazing and awesome music of many varieties.
Before dawn broke, Puxatawny Phil was wide awake and excited about HIS special day – GROUNDHOG’S DAY!
In preparation for HIS day, all the stops were pulled out! He groomed himself carefully, ensuring every piece of caramel-colored fur hair was in place. The previous day, he had treated himself to his yearly pedicure, and his nails were perfection – shining brightly for all to admire. His teeth were cleaned, and while they were not brilliantly white, no debris was stuck in them. Eyes as dark as two pieces of coal added to his handsomeness. He was a fine specimen of the rodent family – known by some as a woodchuck, but he preferred Groundhog – it has such a royal ring to it.
Having prepared for HIS day’s performance, he awakened his family. He was so excited for them to see how stunning he looked. His beautiful wife, Gertie Groundhog, oohed, aahed, and swooned over him. He was not disappointed with her reaction. She was so proud to be his wife and mother of his children. This handsome guy was hers, and she was his! The chucklings (children) came to see Daddy and thought he was the most gorgeous Daddy in the groundhog world!
A celebration began before Puxatawny Phil went above ground. There was dancing, running around, jumping up and down, singing, and shouting. The party was ‘over the top’! After half an hour of this vigorous activity, it was TIME!!! Oh, the excitement to perform again. A year is a long wait to be on the world’s stage!
Puxatawny Phil hugged and kissed his wife and chucklings then began his ascent to the outside world. His heart was beating so rapidly from the excitement that he could barely stand it. Amazingly, he saw a sliver of light and knew he was almost there—just a few more steps. At last, he arrived at the outside world and stepped out of his hole. Before he could predict the length of winter, he collapsed on the ground. Puxatawny Phil was dead!
Word of his demise spread rapidly. The world’s most famous meteorologist had died. The cause of death was a sudden attack of Cryophobia, a fear of winter and freezing weather. He was fine in his underground mansion, but the cold and snow outside were too much for his body to withstand.
Puxatawny Phil was dedicated to and loved his family and his work. He is survived by his devoted wife, Gertie Groundhog, and six chucklings – Doodlydo, Zingrit, Maefes, Haptalo, Kinmin, and Yipiling. He is also survived by hundreds of aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews from Eastern United States across Canada and Alaska.
Rodent Remains. are arranging funeral services. His burial will be in the family plot in Puxatawny, PA.
Transform. It seems that throughout life, we constantly transform. Our thoughts run in a direction we are not happy with. What do we do? We set about to transform those thoughts into something beautiful, uplifting, loving, giving, and positive — thoughts that make us feel better and see others in a clearer light.
Bodies of assorted sizes. Tall, short, thin, fat, large bones, small bones, a full head of hair, fine, sparse hair. So many areas to focus on. We cannot alter our stature – if we are tall, we are tall; if we are short, we are short; we can do absolutely nothing about that.
Thin bodies are not so troubling to many, while others do their best to gain weight by eating and drinking rich foods and beverages.
Fat bodies are always troubling. If not to the person wearing the body, then to someone else who thinks that body needs to be brought into submission to a strict diet.
Body types can be excruciating for the owners. The thin body may refuse to gain weight despite consuming rich food and drink. The fat body may refuse to lose weight even on a 700-calorie-a-day diet. Could it be that some bodies are just intended to be the size they are? They may change a few pounds up or down, but never significantly.
Transforming what is on the inside could be much more important but not visible to outsiders. Let’s suppose one has a beautiful/handsome face and a perfect body (whatever that may be at any given time) yet is very judgmental and hurtful to others.
While transforming the outside may make one’s appearance more appealing to others, one’s attitude and actions remain unchanged. It is helpful to oneself to change a mindset of negativity to positivity, from complaining to thankfulness, from dislike to like, from rejecting to accepting, from selfishness to selflessness, and from uncaring to caring. These are just a few transformations one can work on that will significantly enhance one’s life and, at the same time, have a tremendous impact on others.
“And do not be conformed to this world (any longed with its superficial values and customs), but be transformed and progressively changed (as you mature spiritually) by the renewing of your mind (focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes), so that you may prove (for yourselves) what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect (in His plan and purpose for you). Romans 1:2 (AMP)
“Your dad is a G-Man?” “An honest-to-goodness G-Man?” “Wow! I never met anyone who even knew a G-Man, but I know you and your father is one!” “Does he carry a gun?” “Does this mean he is a spy?” “Is your family ever in danger because of his work?”
On and on the comments poured from a small group of college freshmen as we sat around getting to know one another. The question at hand was, “What is your father’s occupation?”
When it was my turn to speak, I explained to them that my dad had been in his line of business for as long as I could remember, he did not carry a gun and was not considered to be a spy. As for our family being in danger, the subject never came up.
The conversation went on for quite some time – what they thought about G-Men, did all G-Men do the same kind of work, how they would feel if their dads were in that line of work, would they be afraid something could happen, etc. Most were very happy their dads were just ‘regular’ guys, but a few thought having a “G-Man” dad could be interesting and exciting. The next question they asked was, “What was behind your dad’s decision to become a “G-Man?”
Well, our town did not have one and the need was quite evident. After doing due diligence and discussing it with my mom, both decided it would be the best thing to do – for the town and for them. My dad became a “G-Man” when he started the first sanitation business in our town. “G(arbage)-Man”!! He definitely was an honest-to-goodness “G-Man!”
His business was very successful; servicing most of the businesses, restaurants, and private homes in our town. It was hard work, honest work, and he was reliable. His two sons worked with him for several years and it was always a big treat when Dad would let me go in the truck with him. He paid me one penny for each box I could stack! I hasten to add, the boxes were small, empty cardboard boxes. This was not child labor – it was just plain fun for me – and my take-home pay may have been a dime, but I was one happy little kid! Also, in the things that matter most in life – spending time with my dad mom, and my brothers, I was very rich. I was a millionaire! Perhaps even a billionaire!
Growing up in Northern Maine meant we had many months of winter. It usually began in November and ended in March, but that wasn’t always the case. Occasionally, it appeared in October, giving us a rare, light snowstorm in April.
Nothing closed due to snowfall. Schools, businesses, churches, stores, bakeries, and restaurants were bustling with typical day activities. This was due, in part, to the men who plowed the streets, roads, and highways.
When the snowstorm began, the trucks would go to their assigned routes and plow until the storm ended. This meant the drivers cleared roads for many hours, even throughout the night.
Winter was a lot of work for the adults. The kids?? Not so much – they had a different view and role. Sliding, ice skating, skiing, tobogganing, and many on-the-spot, spur-of-the-moment fun things. For instance, the snow Dad shoveled from our walkway made a wall, and one could walk right up onto the sun porch roof. My friend and I would go up on the roof, go to the far end, run as fast as we could, and jump off! The snow on the ground was so deep we had to extend our arms out to our sides to prevent us from going ultimately out of sight! We began ‘snow swimming’ up and out of the hole, across the snow-covered lawn, up the back side of a snowbank, and down onto the sidewalk – to do it repeatedly.
The outside skating rink was not open during a snowstorm, but not too long after the snow stopped falling, the men in charge of the rink would clear the snow, and the skaters were free to have fun. Skating would go on for hours with visits to the ‘skate shack’ to get warm and thaw out! A potbellied stove sat in the center and benches were on each wall – feet with skates on them would be extended toward the stove. The heat felt so good, and the warmth traveled straight to our bones. Snow and ice melted from the skates and snow pants. Once thoroughly warmed, it was back outside to the freezing temperatures and the fantastic ice rink!
One night we even went skating in a car!!! The temperature was too warm for the rink to be open and a group of us came up with this brilliant idea – let’s go skating in the car! One of the guys in our youth group had a ’52 Plymouth Fury Coup, and, believe it or not, thirteen of us scrunched into it. The last girl to get in literally laid over the top of everyone else! The car owner went to the end of the street, accelerated to about 40 mph, and drove onto the ice. At the same time, he shifted into Neutral and gave the steering wheel a spin, and we were off! Peals of laughter and squeals of joy filled the air as we bumped off the snowy edge of the rink and went in a different direction. Several minutes later, the car came to a stop; the driver put it in gear and drove carefully off the ice and down the street – to do it all over again! What fun we had.
I should mention that ‘car skating’ wouldn’t have gotten us into trouble with the law if a policeman had happened upon us. For sure, we would have gotten a ‘good talking to’ and told not to do it again, but that would have been it. No property was damaged, the ice was still in good condition and the little Fury didn’t have a scratch. Things were very different in those days, and it was a fabulous time to grow up.
I AM OFFERING THIS GIFT TO YOU When your feet are cold, you feel chilled all over – I offer socks—coverings to warm your feet and spread warmth up your legs into your entire body.
When your belly is empty, and the hungriness is often all-consuming – I offer you corn to sate the yearning deep inside.
When your thoughts are filled with nothing, I offer a treasure from outside your present state. A treasure that can be everything you need it to be.
You may ask, “What treasure do you offer that will fill me with joy and thankfulness”? “What treasure can lift me above the shadows I feel”?
You will have this treasure if you always remember you are loved. You are special. You are unique. You are talented. You are caring. You are generous. You are so much more than these few words. Always remember you are loved.
It looked like foam on his face, but it was shaving soap mixed with water in his shaving mug and then applied to his face with a soft-bristled shaving b brush. Oh, how I loved watching Daddy shave. It was such a precise and remarkable feat. Sometimes the contortions of his face to ensure all the whiskers would be removed would cause me to giggle and laugh. And at that, Daddy would put a dab of shaving soap on the end of my nose – the laughter continued.
The reasoning of this 5-year child was if Daddy so carefully did this ritual every day, it must be very important and something I should do as well. Setting out my plan to make this happen, Momma and Daddy were patient and agreed I could shave with Daddy. The excitement was almost more than I could stand!
The next morning, practically jumping up and down, it was shaving time!! I stood on a chair so I could look in the mirror with Daddy and was given a small mug in which to mix my shaving soap while Daddy mixed the soap in his mug. A soft-bristled brush was given to me to apply the suds to my face. This was so exciting I was ready to shave with Daddy!!! One thing was missing – where was my razor?! Believe me, Momma and Daddy were very creative in convincing me that little girls did not use razors on their faces. My razor was a regular table knife – a smooth edge with no shaving value. As I stood on the chair beside Daddy, I carefully did all the moves he did! When we were all done, his little girl was delighted. Shaving was too much work and took too long, so from that day on, watching Daddy shave was treat enough! This precious memory is vivid even 80 years later.
During my walk, the main sound I encountered was the church bell’s melodious chiming. It was extremely beautiful and comforting. My ears welcomed the deep resonating music of the bell, my heart welcomed the peace it instilled.
The huge, old elm trees formed a canopy of softness over the street and jeweled tones of sunset shone through the leaves. Perfection.
As I neared the end of this evening ritual, the sunset had ‘gone to bed’ as we had told our young children, and darkness of night silently crept in. Suddenly, lightning began flashing and crackling across the sky, illuminating the horizon and making evident buildings, trees, flowers, and grass, which just moments before had not been visible. Along with the lightning came the deep, rich baritone sounds of thunder. Music of the sky. Mother Nature in all her majestic glory!
