Monday, November 03, 2008

A mother's encouragement



I am a music teacher by training. One of the occupational hazards in being a music teacher is that you tend to drag your children (and even your dear husband) into musical performance situations with you throughout their whole lives. Sometimes, they were dragged kicking and screaming. I have often wondered if that would prove to be a blessing or a curse to my children.

This coming Christmas, both the boys and their wives will be home for the holidays. When we were talking to Ben on the phone this past weekend, he mentioned that he had done an arrangement of "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent", and suggested all on his own that perhaps our family could present it during the Christmas Eve service at church. This was enough to warm the cockles of any music-teaching mamma's heart! Then, today he sent me the arrangement (for piano, two guitars, and three-part vocals), and it is beautiful-- interesting and haunting and utterly appropriate for the text and the original melody. I can't wait to perform it together! (If anyone out there has Finale Notepad {a free download} and wants to hear it, let me know!)

I feel as if Ben has risen in the gates and called me blessed!

I'm sure it's not unique to homeschooling, but because we are responsible for so very many areas of the lives of our children, the dread of "ruining" them somehow can be an intense and intimidating one. This is one of those precious moments when I glimpse the fact that God has been doing good work in the lives of my children, and I haven't been able to thwart Him. What an encouragement that is!

6 comments:

Julie said...

(If anyone out there has Finale Notepad {a free download} and wants to hear it, let me know!)


Yes and yes, please. My love to you and Dave and your sons. --Julie

MagistraCarminum said...

Julie-
I need an e-mail address for you if you want me to send the song:-)
Chris

Juanita Stauffer said...

yes, please!!!

That sounds beautiful. And I totally get the music teaching mama bit!

Juanita

Seth said...

I would love to hear it! I actually wrote a version of the same song, for three part vocal, a cappella. I am curious what harmonies he used. If you would like, I will send you my version too... :)

MagistraCarminum said...

Seth- send me your e-mail and I'll send it! And I would love yours, too! :-)
Aunt Chris

Patricia said...

We'd love to hear it! My youngest, Grace, uses Finale notepad nearly every day. She loves to write songs and I'm sure she'd enjoy hearing this one.

On another note, Ben and David had their first tutoring session last night. David is very happy about it. He was talking to me about Latin poetry for about 30 minutes afterward.