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Day Ten: Something You Love

Before John starts adding onto this post, I'm going to point out that it's someTHING you love, not someONE.  Otherwise, I know he would write a novel about me :-)

I love classical music.  I will never forget when I first discovered it.  I had been playing it on the piano for years, but a friend of mine in high school persuaded me to speak with the high school orchestra director to see if there was a possibility of a pianist/keyboardist joining the orchestra (that pianist being me, of course).  Thankfully, the conductor was open-minded, and took me on after listening to me play.

The first time I sat within an orchestra, I almost cried.  No doubt, my mouth was hanging wide open at least, because it was an amazing and eye-opening feeling.  So many individuals coming together to make something really beautiful.  And it's a very different feeling, sitting within the orchestra versus listening to it from the outside (although that has stirred many an emotion within my soul also).  To this day, when I hear any of the pieces that we played over those three years, a tear or two escapes my eyes every time.

Just the other day, I was stressed beyond belief.  As much as I was trying to deny that I had the weight of the world on my shoulders, I was at a breaking point.  I was out weeding the area around the mailbox.  It was cold and drizzly, and my hair was falling in my face, and I had no gardening tools for pulling all those stupid weeds.  In fact, I had just stopped the car on the way home and gotten out.  I had left the radio in the car going, listening to my favorite classical music station.  I wasn't listening to the announcer, but as soon as the notes to the third movement of Dvorak 8 began to play, I broke down....again.  Take a moment and just listen to the first minute or two.  It's so beautiful:  Dvorak 8

And while we're at it, another favorite movement of mine is from Beethoven Symphony No. 7, second moment:  Beethoven 7

All that stress just melted away.  All the worries were forgotten.  And I stood there, in the rain, just listening and holding back the tears.  I love classical music for how it reminds me of the beauty and grace of life.  There's nothing like it.

Glo:
I love stories.  Literally when I pray I thank heavenly father for stories.  Stories, whether they're told in comic books, TV shows, movies or books, I love watching, reading and studying them.  When I find a story I really like I study it to death just so that I can always remember it whenever I want with incredible detail.  Even if the whole story isn't good, but one character is really great, or it has elements that are really great, I rewatch and read those part over and over again.  Stories, I think along with beautiful music, and art (which can cover a wide variety of areas) are one of the only ways humans can create true beauty on earth.

Johannah:
I love the cold.  While most people spend vacations lounging on the beach or enjoying the sun, I stay in the shade or spend my time in the water because I cannot stand being hot.  I love Fall and Winter because it's cold, and I don't spend all my time trying to cool off.  I love stepping outside in the morning, and the air (at least in Pennsylvania) is crisp and the wind is blowing.  I love driving with the windows down in the winter because the coldness whips through the car, and it feels SO good. My family calls me the polar bear because I love the cold, and pretty much die in the heat.  Plus, sweaters and boots are so much more fun than shorts and sandals :)  My favorite temperature is like 45-50 degrees, because it's just cold enough to be chilly without needing coats, gloves, and a scarf.

John - Mommy, Ethan, Mark, Johannah, Glo, Rebecca, Baby...oh wait, I can't say people.  I love the Gospel and Jesus and the scriptures.  I love spooky stuff.  I love Rock and Roll - specifically RUSH, Def Leppard, Linkin Park, Daughtry, Bon Jovi, Foreigner and a host of other Rock and Rollers.  I love SPACE and science fiction.  I love the sunshine.  I love to run.

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