There are certain days from your childhood that you never forget. For me, it was a Saturday morning when I was five years old. Every ten minutes, I ran to the backdoor and stood on the top step. From there, I could see all the way down to the bridge that spanned Bull Run Creek.
What was I so anxious about? The piano my parents had bought was to be delivered that morning. My mother has always loved music and she knew of its importance, so she made sure we had one. For years, my parents made a payment on it every month.
When I was old enough, I started taking piano lessons. Unfortunately, I lost interest in it for a while and quit my piano lessons. For some reason, I took interest in it again when I was a teenager and resumed taking lessons.
At this point, I am going to rephrase my first sentence. There are also certain days from your teenage years that you never forget. When I was a freshman in high school, I had a piano recital. This wasn’t just any recital to me because I was playing my first waltz: “The Moonlight Waltz.” Plus, it was three pages long instead of two.
I practiced and practiced on turning the page. Let me tell you, I had it down so flawless that I didn’t miss a note as I flipped over the page. So, when the day of the recital came, I felt very confident about playing my piece. In fact, I think that was the most confident I had ever been at a recital.
As I was nearing the end of the second page of sheet music, I readied my left hand to turn it. At that exact moment, my piano teacher got out of her chair and walked over to me. Then she reached across the piano and turned the page. Now, I was not expecting this, at all. It was as if she was the eraser and my mind was the chalkboard because I went totally blank. I don’t think I could’ve even told anybody my name.
I quit playing and looked at the page of now meaningless notes. As I sat there, I waited for my everything to come back into my mind. It didn’t. I took my hands off of the keyboard and laid them in my lap. What was I going to do? Then I realized I had two options. I could either get up and go back to sit on the pew with the other piano players or I could start over. Getting up and walking back to the pew with my head lowered was not a real option for me. So, I reached up and flipped the page back and started the whole piece over again. While I played, my piano teacher stood next to the piano like a statue. I think she was afraid to move. When I finished, the people in the audience were kind enough to clap.
Of course, she apologized to me. My piano teacher was a very sweet and Christian lady. Before my next recital, which was a complicated piece, she gave me some of the best advice I have ever received. In essence, she said that we all make mistakes and when they happen, don’t ever stop playing. Never. You continue on as if nothing has happened and if you can, cover it up. Chances are the people in the audience have no idea that you even made a mistake. They will think it’s part of the music.
“Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth his with his hand.” Psalm 37:24 (KJV)
Let’s face it, we all stumble and fall from time to time. We can trip up our own feet, or somebody else can trip us. Either way, if we are Believers, God has His hand on us. Personally, I think this means way more than just our comfort. I think it means we get back up, press on, and don’t stop until the Lord takes us home. Better yet, if you are dealing with some kind of pain and/or strife, praise The Lord as you get back up. People will take notice. Now that I think about it, maybe that is why I received the applause I did at my piano recital. I pressed on instead of giving up and walking away.
As for my piano, I still have it. To this day, it sits in my living room. Honestly, it has been a while since I played musical pieces on it. From time to time I will play a few musical chords. At least the dog hasn’t howled when I do. Wait, that only happens when I try to sing.
Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.