on music (part un)

Music is a desperate being--
living, breathing, calling, freeing...
beckoning to something greater,
something far beyond ourselves.

I've been to three concerts in the past week, and each one has been different. The beautiful thing is that each concert, each style of music, had the power to evoke a different set of emotions for each experience. Take the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as example number one. Listening to a classical pianist play a Beethoven piano concerto, followed by Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, was a little glimpse into the world of dynamics--the power and precision of loudness and softness, in near perfection. How does a crescendo swell not only from each musician, but also stir in the souls of those listening? Why do I feel the need to close my eyes in order to better absorb the beauty of each note?

This past weekend I was in Springfield visiting my parents. One of the things I miss most about central Illinois is the clearness of the night sky. Saturday night was one of the most spectacular I have ever seen, with perhaps the exception of being in Africa. Over the weekend there was an annual meteor shower, the Perseids, and watching a few streak across the sky Monday night was really incredible. Looking at the sable sprinkled with sugared stars....and hearing the calming effect of the crickets and cicadas and far-away frogs....I couldn't help but feel that all of nature was playing its own symphony.

I don't think everyone hears the music of the universe. But I think it's there. Sometimes it goes unheard beneath the cluttered lives we live. There is something so satisfying about just listening....

And breathing.

For life sings its own song. And sometimes the dynamics surprise you.