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HOPE ALL IS WELL...........Blessings

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Happy Easter :)

Robby was 11 years old when his mother (a single mom) dropped him off for his first piano lesson. I prefer that students (especially boys) begin at an earlier age, which I explained to Robby. But Robby said that it had always been his mother's dream to hear him play the piano, so I took him as a student.

Well, Robby began his piano lessons and from the beginning I thought it was a hopeless endeavor. As much as Robby tried, he lacked the sense of tone and basic rhythm needed to excel. But he dutifully reviewed his scales and some elementary piano pieces that I require all my students
to learn. Over the months he tried and tried while I listened and cringed and tried to encourage him.

At the end of each weekly lesson he
would always say 'My mom's going to hear me play someday'. But to me, it seemed hopeless, he just did not have any inborn ability.

I only knew his mother from a distance as she dropped Robby off or waited in her aged car to pick him up. She always waved and smiled, but never dropped in.

Then one day Robby stopped coming for his
lessons. I thought about calling him, but assumed that because of his lack of ability he had decided to pursue something else. I was also glad that he had stopped coming - he was a bad advertisement for my teaching!

Several weeks later I mailed a flyer recital to the students' homes. To my surprise, Robby (who had received a flyer) asked me if he could be in the recital. I told him that the recital was for current pupils and that
because he had dropped out, he really did not qualify.

He told me that his mother had been sick and unable to take him to his piano lessons,
but that he had been practicing. 'Please Miss Honor, I've just got to play' he insisted. I don't know what led me to allow him to play in therecital - perhaps it was his insistence or maybe something inside of me saying that it would be all right.

The night of the recital came and the high school gymnasium was packed with parents, relatives and friends. I put Robby last in the program, just before I was to come up and thank all the students and play a
finishing piece. I thought that any damage he might do would come at the end of the program and I could always salvage his poor performance through my 'curtain closer'.

Well, the recital went off without a hitch, the students had been practicing and it showed. Then Robby came up on the stage. His clothes were wrinkled and his hair looked as though he had run an egg beater through it. 'Why wasn't he dressed up like the other students?' I thought. 'Why didn't his mother at least make him comb his hair for this
special night?'

Robby pulled out the piano bench, and I was surprised when he announced that he had chosen to play Mozart's Concerto No.
21 in C Major. I was not prepared for what I
heard next. His fingers were light on the keys, they even danced nimbly on the ivories. He went from pianissimo to fortissimo, from allegro to virtuoso; his suspended chords that Mozart demands were magnificent!

Never had I heard Mozart played so well by anyone his age.

After six and a half minutes he ended in a grand crescendo, and everyone was on their feet in wild applause! Overcome and in tears, I ran up onstage and put my arms
around Robby in joy. 'I have never heard you playlike that Robby, how did you do it?

' Through the microphone Robby explained: 'Well, Miss Honor .... remember I told you that my mom was sick? Well, she actually had cancer and passed away this morning. And well ...... she was born deaf, so tonight was the first time she had ever heard me play, and I wanted to make it special.'

There wasn't a dry eye in the house that evening. As the people from Social Services led Robby from the stage to be placed in to
foster care, I noticed that even their eyes were red and puffy. I thought to myself then how much richer my life had been for taking Robby as my pupil.

No, I have never had a prodigy, but that night I became a prodigy ....... of Robby. He was the teacher and I was the pupil, for he had taught me the meaning of perseverance and love and believing in yourself, and may be
even taking a chance on someone and you didn't know why.

In the New Year, we pray
that You will guide us each new day
in paths that are pleasing to You.
Lord, the New Year gives us another chance
to rededicate our lives to You,
to study Your Word
so that we know right from wrong
and to act in accordance with Your commands.
Thank You for the sense of
direction, purpose and peace we get
from aligning our lives with Your Holy will.
We pray for the strength and the will to obey You
each and every day of the New Year,
and when we fail, we pray for Your mercy,
Your compassion, Your grace and Your love.
Help us in the New Year to be Your faithful servants.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.†♥†

We have been reading a lot lately about Christmas being a Pagan Holiday and that Jesus wasn't born on that day. I've been thinking about this for several days now trying to come up with how I feel about all this. It's difficult for me because I'm not a good writer as many of you are. But there are some things that just simply take using 'common sense.'

I've been using that term a lot lately because it seems we no longer, as a people, can use 'common sense.' This takes me to one of my daughters-in-law back in the '90' s when I mentioned 'common sense' to her. At the time she was attending collage and informed me that the collage taught classes on 'common sense.' I was blown away by this since this is something I grew up with.

Teach someone 'common sense?' How is that done after they a grown person? It still baffles my mind! This is something every youngster should grow up being taught and in such a way as they don't even know they're being taught. I don't remember it; it was just there. What has happened to our society, our country, our world?

Back to the Christmas. We don't know the exact day Jesus was born; it wasn't given us through Scripture nor was it recorded in any public records. But we know he was born since there were many public records that later referred to him. And if we believe in Scripture we believe it did, in fact, happen through faith.

The day in which Jesus was born doesn't matter. The fact that He was born is the issue. If He hadn't been born He couldn't have died for us giving us the great hope for a beautiful future and the marvelous hope for everlasting life. He was the greatest gift God could ever bestow on us!

How many times have people celebrated their own or their children and grandchildren's birthdays on a day other than the actual day? It happens all the time. Why, in our own family all the grandchildren's birthday are celebrated the same day because of convenience. There isn't anything wrong in that.

Also, because our birthday happens to fall on a Pagan holiday does that mean we are Pagan? And that it automatically becomes a Pagan holiday? I think not. This is where we should use that 'common sense' that God so graciously blessed us with.

Our society today is so concerned with being 'politically correct' so as not to offend anyone and so conscience of Paganism that they lose sight of the real meaning of things and take the joy from others.

We should conduct ourselves as if it's Christmas each and every day of the year and that doesn't include the greed and selfishness we so often see. That means the showing of love, kindness, consideration and always remembering our Lord and Savior.

And we needn't always remember Him as a 'babe.' Would we like to always be remembered as as an infant? Jesus Christ was a grown man who gave His life as a sacrifice for all and should be remembered for that, too, for that is the most important part of His life; that and His wonderful teachings; the main one being:" Love one another as He loves us."

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