Valentines Day

But....this post probably won't be about love, romance, or flowers.

I awoke this morning to glimpse a winter wonderland outside. Frosted trees, lazy fog, and snow-studded streets gave me a surreal feeling. So, after eating some breakfast and pouring myself some fresh coffee, I settled on my bedroom floor (my recent fave location for computer time) and put on some ethereal music to go along with the scene out my window. Howard Shore's music from Lord of the Rings is now engulfing my space. Soon, I'll be conquering foes, helping Hobbits and falling in love (so much for not mentioning love in this post). Or, maybe I'll just continue to sit here in my pink flannel pants and long-sleeved Cathedral Choir T-shirt. Either way, I'm loving this Saturday morning.

Yesterday at school, I was testing my 7th graders on "Ode to Joy". They individually came up to me and finger-picked the melody, a song they've been working on for the past two weeks. I was struck anew by how a piece of music could sound as unique as each person playing it. Though the guitar rendition that I teach is forever ingrained in my brain, having taught it over and over, I am still delighted by new interpretations of the same tune. Yesterday, I heard loud, soft, musical, stilted, fast, slow, connected, disjointed, delicate, and harsh renditions of the same little song. Some students possessed that intangible musical sense, using their fingers and their souls to pour beauty into the music. Some students approached the piece with robotic accuracy, seemingly feeling no connection to the tune. Some students awkwardly grappled with the strings, letting the guitar needlessly intimidate them. Wow. Unique. God created each of us uniquely. How well I see that even when grading students on identical tasks!

As my token show of respect to the day, I wish everyone a happy Valentines Day.