Strike a Chord

Favorite Photo Friday #2

Quote of the Day:  Seated one day at the organ, I was weary and ill at ease, And my fingers wander'd idly over the noisy keys;
I knew not what I was playing, or what I was dreaming then,
But I struck one chord of music like the sound of a great Amen.
- the first verse to The Lost Chord Music by Sir Arthur Sullivan;
words by Adelaide Anne Proctor

I loved playing that song when I was in high school. It has a haunting melody, filled with longing.  The rest of the song talks about the organist searching for that one glorious chord one more time, but maybe only hearing it again in Heaven.

(I had to use two photos to illustrate this.)

Hands on the keys.

The inner workings of the piano.

One of the first things I show a new student is the inside of a piano. It's fun to open the lid and show them how the hammers hit the strings and the pads come down to stop the sound, and what it looks like when you hold the pedal down.

Do you ever feel like that song, longing for the combination that feels like the sweet spot of life?  Harmony to compliment your melody?

Journaling Prompt:  What strikes a chord with you?  When have you felt that harmonious blend that makes you sigh and say, ah, that's what I want forever? Ever take something apart just to see how it works?

Spring Thaw

Quote of the Day:

from The Message, Psalm 31:23-24

Love God, all you saints;

God takes care of all who stay close to him,

But he pays back in full

those arrogant enough to go it alone.

Be brave. Be strong. Don't give up.

Expect God to get here soon.

Up here in the North Country, the Earth is still frozen.  Ice and snow are thick on our drive-ways and by-ways.  Our paths are treacherous. Our patience is thin.  We're longing for spring.  And, yet, before we see the first blooms of tulips and smell the fragrance of lilacs, we must endure the spring thaw. 

I'm from the Red River Valley of the North.  As I mentioned in my molecule post, this river flows north.  The spring thaw is a huge threat.  As the river ice melts, it has nowhere to go.  As the snow becomes water, it flows out, but not away, it pools in low lands and fields and farms.  It becomes the enemy and your instincts for fight or flight kick in.  My parents, sister and husband stayed on the farm and fought...and somehow won the battle of the flood of 2009.  My best writer-mama-pal fled to my house.  I'm preparing floor space and heart space right now.  The snowbanks are high.  The ice is thick.  Danger is looming.  And, yet, we long for spring.

I see barriers in relationships like the frozen ground all around me.  Although people long for deep, intimate relationships, they remain in a frozen state.  It's easier, they think, to stay cold and form ice sculptures on their exteriors that look "all good."  And, yet, they long for the spring thaw.  What if, the warmth of friendship started to melt that ice?  What if, God blew the fire of his love into our hearts and we began to thaw?

Darkness, death, suffering all come before the dawn of Easter morning when the lilies are in bloom.  The sun warms our faces, and we feel joy in God's deep, intimate relationship.  Jesus walks that dark path with us.  He knows our every pain, our every joy, and our deepest longing.  He wants us to have deep, intimate relationships.  What does that feel like?  I suspect it's like longing for spring, despite the fear of the flood.

Journaling Prompt: What are your deepest longings?  How do you remain frozen?  What if your heart started to melt?