This scene speaks softly to me. It melts me with many memories of trying to comfort the very ill or dying over my lifetime. I have been a pastor, a community chaplain, and a Sheriff chaplain. I have experienced the feelings of this scene in people’s homes, hospital visits, care homes, and sad environments with the homeless, or near homeless.
When my folks were dying, about 15 years ago, they wanted to die in their own home, in their own bed, and on their terms. I became their 24/7 caregiver. I was going through my own personal crisis but through it all, I knew I needed to rally for this urgent time. Less than 6 weeks after my mom died in her own bed, my dad was just a few days himself from passing.
Dad was a lover of the “Big Band” sound. I set up his bedroom to surround him with the sounds of Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey. The first day I did that, he softly sang to the tunes. The second day, when he was failing, he hummed loudly. The day before he passed, he had no more sounds to be heard, but he conducted the music with his two index fingers like a baton, with a gentle smile on his face.
So let me ask you this when you study the scene here in this picture. Have you ever been so sick that the books, letters or cards that consoled you or perhaps just distracted you, are now too heavy to even hold up? Perhaps too weak to concentrate? If so, you might be able to empathize with the plight here.
Music and a caring heart are a comfort …perhaps to end. The act of playing the violin for someone can symbolize deep emotional bonds and a desire to communicate comfort and support.
For me, it suggests that music has the power to soothe and convey feelings. However, this reminds me of how can I be a violin to others. I can not play an instrument, but I want to be an instrument of comfort and consolation, which is why I do my volunteer work. Listening to others, hearing their stories, their falls, and their recoveries…..is playing a beautiful instrument in their hearts at critical times.
So here, I speak to myself in the mirror today and share some of those thoughts with you. I have not always been a violin… this is for sure. In the past, I have sometimes prioritized my feelings first when I felt misunderstood. Years later, I realize how much more important it is to be an instrument rather than follow my feelings.
As I age, as I draw closer to the finish line, I remind myself of this. I hope I have learned the value of honoring, comforting, and inspiring people over the short-term buzz of airing my feelings that offer little consolation to others. We need each other to be this as the sun begins to set. Let us express care and let us soothe. May we be instruments, one to another! I know when my time comes, I will sure be grateful for knowing I am not alone, even if I can’t hold the book up anymore, but yet still hear the faint sounds of a violin.
“Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.” – 1 Peter 3:8
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” – Galatians 6:2
Plain Truth Ministries | Box 300 | Pasadena, CA 91129-0300
