“When
the blazing sun is gone, when the nothing shines upon,
then you show your little light, twinkle twinkle all the night.
Then the traveler in the dark, thanks you for your tiny spark,
he could not see which way to go, if you did not twinkle so.”
then you show your little light, twinkle twinkle all the night.
Then the traveler in the dark, thanks you for your tiny spark,
he could not see which way to go, if you did not twinkle so.”
— The Star by Jane
Taylor
The
house lights dimmed. The concert was about to begin. A mother returns to her
seat to discover her child missing.
Suddenly,
the curtains part and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage.
In
horror, the mother sees her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently
plinking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."
At
that moment, the great piano master makes his entrance, quickly moving to the
piano, he whispers in the boy's ear: "Don't quit.""Keep
playing."
Leaning
over the child, Paderewski reaches down with his left hand and begins filling
in a bass part.
Soon
his right arm reaches around to the other side of the boy, and he adds a
running obbligato.
Together,
the old master and the young novice transform what could have been a
frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience.
Perhaps
that's the way it is with us. Do you have someone in your life that fills in
the gaps and makes your feeble attempts into beautiful music? Are you that
person for someone else?
I
have no idea if this is a true story or not. It is an excerpt from an email I
received once, but it sure does make you think doesn’t it? If you are a parent,
it tugs at your heart strings a little too.
Don’t
we want to wish this story is true? Isn’t it what we wish for our own lives? In
our own insecurity, don’t we all want to know that there is a Master reaching
his arms around us to make our fumbling attempts at melody into a beautifully
orchestrated concert piece?
For
many of us, what we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our
best, but the results aren't always graceful flowing music. Sometimes we even
see others hunting and pecking for that right key. Perhaps there is a little
voice inside us that says we can be the master to others?
The
next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You may hear
the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, "Don't quit."
"Keep playing." Maybe, you need to be that composer who encourages
another. Life is more accurately measured by the lives you touch than by the
things you acquire.
Reach
out to someone. Take them by the hand and help them place their fingers on the
right keys. I’m certain that if you do, you will receive far more reward by
helping another, than from just helping yourself. Our community will be a better
place because of it too!
It’s
hard for me to share this story without recalling the words of my grandmother
who said this to me many many times, “Remember, God doesn't seem to call the
equipped, rather, He equips the called”.
-----
"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" is a popular English lullaby. The lyrics are from an early 19th-century English poem, "The Star" by Jane Taylor. The poem was first published in 1806. It is sung to the tune of the French melody "Ah! vous dirais-je, Maman", which was published in 1761 and later arranged by Mozart.
"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" is a popular English lullaby. The lyrics are from an early 19th-century English poem, "The Star" by Jane Taylor. The poem was first published in 1806. It is sung to the tune of the French melody "Ah! vous dirais-je, Maman", which was published in 1761 and later arranged by Mozart.
---
* This article was originally printed in the Sunday, March 16, 2014 issue
of The Chronicle's "Planting Seeds" column.
of The Chronicle's "Planting Seeds" column.
