I have yet another confession to make. I love period-piece miniseries and movies––especially the Victorian era, though I must admit I am drawn more to the posh than the poor. Boring though it may seem, I especially love the evening scenes when they all convene in the drawing room, to read, play whist, take a turn about the room, or listen to someone play the piano.
Recently, I had a somewhat similar experience. No, it was not a grand drawing room, and it wasn’t filled with well-heeled gentlemen and ladies, nor was their a game of whist taking place. BUT, there was a piano and a most amazing young talent, Talon Smith, who performed for about twenty of us in the living room of a very middle-class patron.
As of this writing, Talon is on his way to Warsaw, Poland, to compete in the preliminary rounds of the International Chopin competition. According to the Chopin 2020 competition website, (https://www.chopin.org/2020-competition) Talon was a finalist last year and earned the right to go to Warsaw in April, but then had it put on hold for a year because of Covid. He is an amazing young talent, among what looks to be a slew of talented young musicians, and I was again reminded of all the beauty, talent, diversity, and individuality that God creates.
The beauty of music and the musicians who play it. The beauty of paintings and the artists who create them. The beauty of words, of furniture, of architecture and those who conceive, build, and envision them.
I am struck by the ability of those who heal the human body, those who can fathom the workings of the internet and its technology, and those who can wire my house and fix my plumbing.
And I am in awe at how very different each and every one of us is in looks, thoughts, and talents. There is a lot of talk . . . an inordinate amount of talk . . . about diversity these days. Yes, in this broken world there are cultural and ethnic inequalities that need, and will always need, to be addressed, but I think we should appreciate diversity the way God intended us to . . . as unique individuals, each with something valuable to offer––ourselves included.
Sometimes I think we forget David’s observations in Psalm 139:13-16:
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. . . .Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”
I may not be able to play a Chopin Nocturne or draw a straight line or fix my own heater, but I can appreciate those who can, and I can thank and praise God for the unique talents and opportunities He has created and selected just for me and for others. I think we all can.
Photo taken from Chopin.org
Recently, I had a somewhat similar experience. No, it was not a grand drawing room, and it wasn’t filled with well-heeled gentlemen and ladies, nor was their a game of whist taking place. BUT, there was a piano and a most amazing young talent, Talon Smith, who performed for about twenty of us in the living room of a very middle-class patron.
As of this writing, Talon is on his way to Warsaw, Poland, to compete in the preliminary rounds of the International Chopin competition. According to the Chopin 2020 competition website, (https://www.chopin.org/2020-competition) Talon was a finalist last year and earned the right to go to Warsaw in April, but then had it put on hold for a year because of Covid. He is an amazing young talent, among what looks to be a slew of talented young musicians, and I was again reminded of all the beauty, talent, diversity, and individuality that God creates.
The beauty of music and the musicians who play it. The beauty of paintings and the artists who create them. The beauty of words, of furniture, of architecture and those who conceive, build, and envision them.
I am struck by the ability of those who heal the human body, those who can fathom the workings of the internet and its technology, and those who can wire my house and fix my plumbing.
And I am in awe at how very different each and every one of us is in looks, thoughts, and talents. There is a lot of talk . . . an inordinate amount of talk . . . about diversity these days. Yes, in this broken world there are cultural and ethnic inequalities that need, and will always need, to be addressed, but I think we should appreciate diversity the way God intended us to . . . as unique individuals, each with something valuable to offer––ourselves included.
Sometimes I think we forget David’s observations in Psalm 139:13-16:
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. . . .Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”
I may not be able to play a Chopin Nocturne or draw a straight line or fix my own heater, but I can appreciate those who can, and I can thank and praise God for the unique talents and opportunities He has created and selected just for me and for others. I think we all can.
Photo taken from Chopin.org
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