Walking

Someday my friend,
We'll go walking again,
Talk about where we've been,
What we've seen,
How we've grown,
What we've learned
As we walked alone,
And how much better
It is to walk together
No matter where we go.

Christmas Lights

One of my favorite memories as a child is looking at the Christmas lights that were hanging outside my window. The lights my parents used were big and colorful. Green, blue, and red were the colors that I could see outside my window.

My neighbors hung their lights today. Our house is one of the brightest on the street! They remind me of winters past, fires in the fire place, cookies, and hot chocolate.

This winter so far has been stressful and lonely and the lights remind me of home as well.

So many people these days put their lights up because it is tradition, without really thinking about what they represent. Because of all the lights, I was reminded that they represent the star that the magi saw long ago on the first Christmas night. It led them to Jesus.

The Messiah

For the last three years, I have played The Messiah by Handel. It's most famous song is the "Hallelujah Chorus." I'm always playing so I never really pay attention to the words. This year I tried to pay more attention. This is an awesome and inspiring piece of music that tells the story of Christ's birth, death, and resurrection. I have to say, it is hard to play with gladness when you lose your music right before a performance. But God's grace abounds, especially when one of the other cellists runs to retrieve an extra copy from the music building (which is located across campus) in a tux. He made it back right before we tuned.I had friends and family show up, and in my opinion, this was the best performance we've done since I have been playing with this group.It was beautiful. I feel encouraged.