The weekend is over, and it feels like it just started. Where did it go? Pretty soon, the Mrs. will be off to Alaska for ten days to help care for her nephews and nieces. I’ll be left to care for our kids/dogs and do some more photography I guess (and have plenty of BBQ & PPJs…).
This photo kept coming to my mind today. It’s a simple shot taken while the Mrs. and I were out & about browsing around an antique store a few years ago, that reminds me of a jazz or blues player of old who expressed himself through his music. Music has a way of breaking down the walls of our heart allowing us to express our joy, pain, love, and, for some, anger.
I grew up around music and loved playing all types from classical to jazz to Broadway. One of the groups I particularly enjoyed playing in was while I was in high school called the Dixie Cats. It was a small group of us who performed the old Dixieland music of old for shows and competition. I was the clarinet player of course and always wished I had the moves of Benny Goodman or Pete Fountain.
Most of all, this photo reminds me of the most influential teacher in my life, Mr. Pierson. He was one of our band directors and, I later found out, the Youth Minister of the Methodist church where I attended after giving my life to the Lord.
Mr. Pierson could play nearly any instrument and directed our middle-school and marching bands. He wasn’t only a teacher to me, though, he was a father figure. His patience, leadership, and guidance were invaluable to me at that time of my life.
In 1980, around this time in April, he invited me to join a special pep-band that was playing for a rally. I didn’t really know what it was but agreed anyway. I’m forever glad I did. It was at that rally, which I learned was a Christian rally, where I decided to give my heart to the Lord. I didn’t know what it meant very well at the time, but I knew something was different.
I’ll share more about that day down-the-road, but, suffice to say, if he hadn’t reached out to me and asked me to go, I don’t know where I would be today. Teachers have such a great responsibility and influence in a young person’s life. It may just be to listen and encourage. It may be to help them through difficult times when no others will. Even the smallest of things can make a huge difference in a young person’s life.
So, today, here’s to you, Mr. Pierson, for not only teaching me the great joy of music, but for being my friend and father figure at a time when I really needed it. Most of all, thank you for asking me to go to that pep band rally. It changed my life forever and I’ll be eternally grateful to you. If I never see you again in this life, I know I will again one day when we’re with the Lord…
Wishing you a blessed and peaceful week my friends!
Brad
