For the Love of Music

Winter struck again here in Bass River/Truro on Sunday, cancelling church and giving us another opportunity to get out and shovel our long driveway. Originally we had arranged with a plow... he seems to have forgotten because he came back twice and we haven't seen him since. He didn't even collect his money. Fortunately we have been informed that we're getting a snow blower. Unfortunately the winter is nearly done and we won't need it till next year. But shovelling for me has been a bonus because I found that it was sometimes the only reason to get out.

Yes indeed it has been a long winter. Having a brand new baby, a two year old, no car and living 40 minutes from town has had me feeling very isolated and itching to get free. Around 5pm on a lot of days I catch myself looking out the window every 10 minutes to see if Jason has driven in the driveway yet... or even if he is driving down the road in the distance. It's true that this computer has felt like my only connection to the outside world at times.

So when I looked out the window a few days ago and saw a ring of green grass around the bottom of one of our trees I couldn't help but smile. Spring is on its way.

Ada and I still took advantage of the snow today. We have a great hill out front of our home and today it was prime. Ada enjoyed sending down her teddy bear on the sled and Mia watched from below while Ada and I both took some turns on the sled. It's for this reason and several others that I am willing to overlook the isolated feelings I feel and hope that next winter will be different.

A few weeks back, in February, I was told that my childhood piano teacher, Anne Ramey Wilson, had passed away. This news shook me and has caused me to think a lot about some things.

First of all, I had on a number of occasions visited Saint John having the intention to include a visit to Anne's house, each time failing to do it. It had been several years since I had seen her. So when I found out she had passed away I felt so sad and wished I had just taken the time. This in turn has caused me to think about the way I keep in touch with other people too. There are more people than I care to mention that I should keep regular contact with and don't. My efforts to be on facebook and this blog are the result of these events. I hope I can put forth more efforts in other areas as well. There are so many people I love and think about often but have rarely taken the time to tell them.

Second, this news has made me realize I can't neglect my musical talents like I have been. My goal this year is to have a piano or something equivalent in our home. After I left university, having done two years there, and taught for a year before my mission, I really haven't done much more other than playing here and there. So it is my resolve to not let this talent go, but to keep it moving forward. I want my children to remember their mother playing the piano in their home as they grew up. I want them to know how important it is to me.

I love Anne; she instilled and awoke within me a love and appreciation for music that I will cherish all my life. I have so many memories of sitting in her home on Adelaide Street in Saint John. I will never forget her nor the dominant place she held in my musical life.