Filed under: God, mind, music, spirituality | Tags: Faith, God, Religion, spirituality
“Many people go to their graves with their music still in them.” –
Oliver Wendall Holmes
This quote from the great Supreme Court jurist Oliver Wendall Holmes has been the subject of many discussions both written and spoken. (It is a favorite of many school commencement speakers over the years.) At its heart, it has caused much debate. What did Justice Holmes mean? Was it a positive or negative statement about mankind?
It could be interpreted negatively. Did Justice Holmes mean that many people don’t find their true calling in life and thus go to their graves unfulfilled?
If so, how sad. Pray with me to God: don’t let that happen to me!
Though I think Justice Holmes statement is a positive view.
First, Justice Holmes didn’t literally mean music. I think he meant by “music”, a gift, a calling, an achievement, a mission, a passion that drives us throughout our lives from birth until death. We all have this internal music and it plays out of in many different ways. We find our passions (I say passions because we can have more than one and it can change throughout our life), and then we work each and every day to achieve, to deliver, to succeed.
I have faith in myself and in mankind! Some days are better than others, but then we are just humans.
And at the end, we still will have our music in us. To lose it, is death. So we must and do keep it out entire lives. We never want to be without it. That drive, that passion, that calling is always with us. We can always do a little more despite our age, our aliments, our problems.
So as far as I am concerned, Justice Holmes was making a very positive statement. The drive never ends regardless of when you go to your grave, old or young or somewhere in-between. We want to keep that passion throughout our lives. We never want to give up! Only those who leave in despair might go to their graves with their music gone.
I don’t want my internal music to ever go out. Let the flame burn in me forever. God, please keep life filled with internal music until I descend to be withyou.
What do you think? Do you agree?
Filed under: God, friendship, spirituality | Tags: freindship, God, Poetry, Religion, spirituality
My father passed away last December after a five year battle with ALS. His illness and death changed my life. I wrote three poems during his battle that summarize my thoughts. See the link to my poetry blog. All that emotion, pain, change and joy were evident in a letter I wrote to a childhood minister and his wife. I wanted to share it. It is very personal. But It helped me to write and I hope it can help others by sharing.
Dear Reverend and Mrs. Brown:
This letter is somewhat a voice from the past and is being written to say thanks. So “Thank You!” It is thanks long overdue; but one that God held until the time was right. I believe that “right” time is now.
Let me explain. My name is Jim Yoakum. I am the son of Dick and Jerry Lou Yoakum. Along with my parents, my two sisters (Lynn and Joann) and my two brothers (John and Randy), we attended Maize Manor United Methodist church during the 1960’s. (P.S. My Mother is still a member there.) Up until the time you left Maize Manor to minister elsewhere, you were the only minister that my sisters, my brothers and I had known. Besides normal ministering, you were instrumental in counseling my Mother regarding severe issues with her mother and stepfather. That was needed for her to be the wonderful Mother she is, Among other things, you helped me earn the Boy Scout of America God and Country award and metal. You significantly touched our lives and continue to do so up to this day.
We have often thought of you and your family and the spirituality and faith we learned from you. Most of those thoughts came during times of crisis when we most needed God. Remembering what you taught us and instilled in us during our days at Maize Manor, somehow made it easier to weather each crisis. While there have been many times our faith held steadfast and got us through due to what we had learned from you, the three most significant for me were my Mother’s stepfather’s suicide in 1978; my own divorce in 1998, and my Father’s illness beginning in 2003 ending with his eventual death at the end of 2007. Each time we needed God the most, you were there helping hold together the rock of our religious and spiritual foundation.
Over the years our family has often talked about you and wondered where life had taken you. On a couple of occasions, I made half-hearted attempts to locate you. We had asked some other old members of Maize Manor if they knew of your whereabouts, but we never could locate you. So many years have passed without being able to communicate our gratitude. But as I said above, I don’t think God wanted that “thanks” to be said just yet. But then miraculously upon my father’s death, God sent a sign and I knew it was time for this long ovedue word of gratitude to be sent.
My Father was diagnosed with ALS-Amyotrophic Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease in 2003. The five ensuing years were difficult, especially for my Mother. At the beginning we questioned God as to “why”. But we soon realized that my Father got ALS for reasons unbeknown to us and that it was not to punish him or anyone else. Our faith in God allowed us to approach this as a blessing. In the end we were all better and stronger as individuals and as a family. Consequently, despite his significant medical needs we were able to grant Father’s wish and let him die peacefully, at home, which he did three days after Christmas on December 28, 2007.
One of the people who ministered to my Dad close to the end was Elaine Clinger Sturtz. God sent her to my Mom and Dad a couple of months before his death. By that point he had been completely bed ridden for several months. I met Elaine for the first time just days before his death. She had come to their home to pray for him. We sat with him and prayed. He was basically at that point incoherent and unable to communicate much. We said a prayer together and then after words she told me she was a United Methodist Elder. Casually, I asked her if she knew George Brown. Was I shocked when she said yes. We then chatted for several minutes about how you were part of our family’s lives. Then I asked her if she remembered Mrs. Brown’s name. She was thinking when my father mouthed “Carole”. Recognize this was the first word he had said in a while. We we all amazed;and I viewed it as a sign from God.
As I reflected upon this later, I realized that you and Carole were with my Father at his time of greatest need. God does work in mysterious ways, but is always there with blessings. You were one of the many blessings God sent to us time and time again, and again at the end of my Father’s life. I genuinely believe your teachings and early friendship made me the person I am today.
I also realized that God brought Elaine to us to provide the means to contact you. It is at last the time to say thanks. Our religious and spiritual rock was tested many times during my Father’s bout was ALS, but we held steadfast in part to you. So here is that long over and heart felt “Thank You”.
On a lighter note, I have to tell you that you did spoil things a bit for me. Over the years I have attended many churches as I moved around the country. (Currently I live in New Jersey about 25 miles outside New York City.) Any minister I have encountered paled on comparison to my memories of you.
God Bless you and your family. I hope you and your family have been blessed as we have. With heart filled love, a final thank you.
Sincerely yours,
On behalf of Richard Yoakum’s family
Jim Yoakum.
