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Missed lessons

It's been two weeks now. I've missed two lessons in a row. My instructor Liz and I live very busy lives, and while I understand this, I long for my next lesson. Each lesson pushes me forward, equipping me to become better. So, for the past two weeks I have been practicing my lessons, but I am a little stuck. I am having trouble with something new she taught me. I can't progress until I see her again and I can't wait to see her so I can move forward! I want to move to the next level. This is true with anything in life, but most importantly with my time in scripture. It is during this time that I can grow in the Lord and become equipped for the next "thing". I am reminded how important it is to make the time to learn, otherwise I can become stagnant. When I miss my time with the Lord, I feel the loss. So once again,I am convicted on my need to apply my diligence to my spiritual life. "...train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of

Getting from here to there

I’ve learned three basic chords. The chords are played with the left hand, and the C chord is the anchor chord. It is easy to find, because when you touch it with your finger, it has an indentation on it to make it evident that your finger is on C. Once I have my finger on the C, I can find the other two chords I’ve learned pretty easily. Those would be the F and G chords. Sounds easy enough. That is until last week when I saw a chord I didn’t know how to reach. The new chord was D. For me, it was D as in “duh.” How in the world was I going to get my fingers over there? It was above the G, and my teacher showed me where it was located, but once I got home, I was pretty lost. It took a leap of blind faith to find it, and then I had to get the feel of it. I know you’re asking that if what I explained earlier was true, what’s the big deal, right? Well, it’s one thing to move one key over with my fingers to go to the neighboring chord, but it’s not so easy to find a chord that

I Love My Accordion

I love my accordion. It’s not perfect, and it has some problems, but I really don't mind. It’s missing a strap, the case is beat up and one of the locks do not clasp properly. But, truly, I don’t care because it's mine! My accordion is starting to feel like a part of me, and I like that. That's because every day, I spend time practicing and every time I practice, I notice that I get a little bit better. Not perfect, just better. That’s how my walk with God is. In his hands, I become better. Not perfect, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, better. The musician makes the instrument eminate a beautiful sound. And so it is with us. As we meet with God every day, he becomes the musician of our lives, enabling us to make a beautiful noise for all to enjoy. Just like I love my accordion, God loves me more. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but tha

Breaking a bad habit

I’ve developed some bad habits. Bad accordion playing habits, that is. From the very beginning, Liz has been telling me to slow down at each lesson and to stop playing so staccato, and I try, but I’m a speedster and want to make the music happen. Now I know why slowing down is so important. In my attempt to make my brain and fingers work together, I’ve been playing in a choppy fashion, and now I have to unlearn those bad habits. Today, I tried to do that, and I wanted to scream. I had to force myself to slow down and think, think, think, even harder than I already do. It’s been grueling and challenging. When people ask me how my lessons are coming along, I chuckle and explain it as trying to chew gum, walk, and rub your stomach all at the same time. I thought about my first practice session at home, and I remember my son warning me about forming bad habits. I didn’t pay attention. Sounds like role reversal to me. It reminds me of how I don’t pay attention to God when he sen

I am really doing it

I'm amazed. I cannot believe that I am able to play the accordion. I am beginner, and for someone who never learned how to read music, I am playing! Like I said, amazing. I am proud to report that I practice about 90% of the time. That means I only miss one or two days, at the most, during the week. My progess is noticeable, and my husband says I'm getting better. I wonder if it's true? I guess even more amazing is the confidence I've gained by playing. I feel like I can do just about anything. Which reminds me that it's in the small steps we take, that we experience growth. I am reminded of one of God's promises..."I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Phil 4:13. I love that scripture. I often think of it when I feel like I can't do certain things, or I am wiped out by the circumstances of life. My accordion is just a small example of HIM working in my life. I am doing it!

How I found my instructor

Liz is my accordion teacher. She is young, beautiful, and full of life. I met her about 6 years ago. She was my client when I was working as a Realtor. We formed a great relationship and she remained in my life in a comfortable way by becoming more than a client. About five years ago, she invited me to a party at her home. The party was cancelled, and somehow I didn't get the memo about the cancellation and showed up anyway. No matter, because everything happens for a reason. I stood in her living room, chatting away, and I spied an accordion in the corner of the room. I asked her about it, sharing how I loved the accordion. She immediately offered to give me lessons. I couldn't imagine finding the time for lessons and the thought of trying to get an accordion seemed impossible. So, I said thanks, but no thanks. Driving home, my husband encouraged me to pursue lessons, but I had already made up my mind. It was no and I was sticking to it. When Joe surprised me with my accor

Lesson 2

Never go to an accordion lesson impaired. We had just achieved a huge goal at work and my director invited us to celebrate at a local restaurant at the end of the day. I didn't think two glasses of wine would really affect my ability to concentrate during my lesson, but it did. I had two challenges at this lesson. First, was my inability to concentrate. Second, was realizing that I had been playing a chord I learned last week incorrectly. Hmmm. Whatever I was playing sounded pretty good to me, but my instructor picked up on my error. Needless to say, my lesson was not very productive. Acutally, it was horrible. I was thankful it was over, although, now came the hard part. I had to unlearn the wrong chord, and train myself to play the right one. A habit is hard to break. That's how it is in life, too. It's been a week now, and I've been playing the right chord (I think) and it sounds right. It's a symbol to me that I can get rid of bad behaviors and replace them