Even in Seattle

Guess what?

Umbrellas really DO go inside out with strong wind like they do in movies. I speak from experience.

Just thought you should know that.

God of Silence

Have you ever thought about it this way?



Holy darkness, blessed night
heaven's answer hidden from our sight.
As we await you, O God of silence,
we embrace your holy night.

I have tried you in fires of affliction;
I have taught your soul to grieve.
In the barren soil of your loneliness,
there I will plant my seed.

I have taught you the price of compassion;
you have stood before the grave.
Though my love can seem
like a raging storm,
this is the love that saves.

Were you there
when I raised up the mountains?
Can you guide the morning star?
Does the hawk take flight
when you give command?
Why do you doubt my pow'r?

In your deepest hour of darkness
I will give you wealth untold.
When the silence stills your spirit,
will my riches fill your soul.

As the watchman waits for morning,
and the bride awaits her groom,
so we wait to hear your footsteps
as we rest beneath your moon.

(Don't) Look Back and Wonder...

There's 3 sides to "bittersweet", you know. There's "bittersweet", "bittersweet", and then just "bittersweet". Today was "bittersweet". The sort of tears you cry not because you're angry, not because you're sad, not because you're happy....just a sharp sort of throb in your heart where people used to be. It's like when you see someone and you're overjoyed to see them but it makes you realize how much you miss them and you can't seem to get enough of their company before you have to leave them again.

I need to make a list of all the precious few, absolutely FABULOUS days I have.

Today, I saw a bunch of my amazing good friends I haven't seen in a long time, got more hugs than I've had since I left church, and probably cried more than I have in the past month. I also got to talk to my big sister on the phone and do some catching up with another good friend I haven't seen in a year.

I saw so, so many people today that I miss a lot. But it was still a good day. A bittersweet day.

Flute Nerds Unite

FLUTE: "A sophisticated pea-shooter with a range up to five hundred yards and deadly accuracy in close quarters. Blown transversely to confuse the enemy, it can be dismantled into three small pieces for easy concealment." - David W. Barber

Vote!

Sorry for the lack of posts - I've been in Idaho at the Salt & Light Qualifier. It was FABULOUS, and I'm working up a post complete with pictures and videos for later.

For now....My friend Heather's brother, Michael, is another one of my piano teachers amazing students. He's placed in numerous competitions and recently played in a concert with the Seattle Festival Orchestra.

We entered in a recent competition with our local radio station, (through youtube) and the top 10 people get $1000 and the privilege of playing at Benaroya Hall. While neither of my entries made it (they're on my youtube channel), Michael's did!! They have narrowed it down to the top 20, and based on votes, will determine the top 10.

So, I want all of you to click HERE!!! and vote for #16 (4 stars!) because he is a fabulous pianist and deserves it.

Lessons From Hours Of Speech Homework

I've just worked on my Illustrated Oratory boards for nearly exactly 5 1/2 hours.

I think I might explode or something.

At any rate, I got this idea while I was cutting various pieces of paper.

If you're like me, you can't draw in a straight line to save your life, unless you've got something to follow. And even then it's not all that great without a ruler.

Life is the same way. We're not going to be able to get to where we want to go unless we follow a path God has given us. And even then, without His word constantly guiding us, we will veer off the path.

It Really Doesn't End

So, I finally got around to recording my Chopin with the motivation of getting it done in time to enter it into a competition our local radio station was holding. (which explains the nerdy intro at the beginning =P )

And now I'm on youtube. O.o

=P

Anyway, here it is. I failed the left hand in one part and ruined another chord at the end, and wasn't as pleased with the emotions that came out this time around......but it was alright, and it does more justice to this post. The thing about playing such an emotionally deep piece is that you get something just a little bit different every time.

I was wearing such a formal dress because of my co-op semi formal later that evening which I will have pictures for later. Sorry the video is so big.

Here's an excerpt from that post:

I like to call a piece of joyful serenity made perfect with pain and sweetened with God's grace, blessings, and love.

It's the joy you find in the midst of the pain.
The peace you find to accept what you have lost.
The grace God gives you to give up what you know you cannot keep.
The blessings He lavishes upon you to show you His everlasting, eternal, all-encompassing love.

It's not bittersweet, because it's not both at once. It's not just plain happiness, because there is pain in there.

You've probably heard that it's the darkness that makes the light beautiful. It's the pain that makes the healing wonderful.

This piece is a full, deep, meaningful joy that you won't experience fully unless you have endured the pain beforehand.

There are so many different feelings you can pull out of this piece, and that's why I love it.

It really has astonished me how many different ways you can play this piece, and the depth of emotion you are constantly finding. My sister and I were talking today about how positively deep music is - it never ends! There's always something new. You can spend months on one piece and still find new and exciting things in it.

The other day, I discovered "righteous anger" in the cadenza. (the really fast chromatic part at the end) Maybe it was because I had just watched this speech on abortion, or because I was feeling particularly angry at things I felt were not my fault.

Other times, the cadenza just screams "Why, God??"

But my favorite part is at the end. I discovered how to play the last two chords in a way that almost guarantee that the right notes are voiced. Part of it was that I put the words "Be Still" on those two chords.

So many times in life I don't understand why things are a certain way, why people do things the way they do, or how there ever could be an end.

But God always says,

Be....Still.

Listen for that at the end.




PS - Some other time, if anyone cares to listen, I'll geek out to you about different parts of that Chopin and how amazing they are (as if this weren't enough), as well as the intricate emotions I think Chopin put there; or perhaps I'll show you my Beethoven. ;)

5-second-hug

Have you ever gone blog hopping?

It's lots of fun. Sometimes the results are productive, others not.

Here's how you do it:

• Start with a friend's blog. Preferably one with lots of followers, because this expands your options.

• Click a random follower, and continue to explore their profiles until you find one who blogs.

• Find a random blog. Find followers of that blog. Look at the comments of people on the blog. You never know the interesting people you might find. =D

Today, I started with Gray's Blog, and in that particular post, she was featuring this blog. So of course, I browsed around, and then looked the author's profile.

And in looking around on that profile, I discovered the same author also writes on this blog. So while browsing through that one, I found this picture. I was quite amused, and noticed there was a comment. So, I clicked on it, and after a bit more browsing around, found this girl's blog.

Her name is Skylar Marks, and she's a 13-year old singer and songwriter. She recorded her first album when she was 8, and she wrote all the songs and played all the instruments herself.


I particularly liked the song "5-second-hug", written when she was 7.

Crying tears of sadness
your heart is completely closed
go to the place
while embracing the world with joy

Ten-hour wait
Five-second hug
But it's really worth it
Ten-hour wait
Five-second hug
Enjoy the moment
While it's there

You can listen to it here. Click on the "Skywriting" album, and it's the first song on the list.

She doesn't have a phenomenal voice, she's not widespread, and she's not all over news articles and videos. But she loves her family, and sings with the more sincerity and depth than I've seen in a little girl. I love how un-edited everything sounds. I think she lives in Hawaii, and is the most adorable tomboy.

I know I certainly didn't have that much insight as an 8 year old. Or even as a 13 year old. Some of my other favorites are "Melt Away", "How It All Began", "Watching You", and "To Know You"

Go to the place
while embracing the world with joy

-Hannah

What about your turban?

Our neighborhood is nearly entirely inhabited by Sikhs and Muslims. (You know, the turbaned people who drive taxis and pray five times a day and paint their houses neon orange)

But they're dedicated, rather peaceful people, actually. (at least the ones around us!)

I'm always seeing them walking and doing those weird stretches at the park. If you smile at them, they smile and nod, and sometimes they'll let they're overly hyper child pet your dog.

If you happen to be introduced to one by one of their English speaking children, they are always quite cheerful and happy to meet you.

And if you've ever had the opportunity to poke your head into their house, you would see rugs galore, tapestries, doorsigns, photos, and mats. There would also be a pleasant smell of food that lingers just about all the time. Their gardens are full of all sorts of fruits, vegetables, and other exotic plants.

Living in a neighborhood surrounded by them, I've met a couple myself. And they really are quite pleasant people.

They do all of this in their headcoverings, pillowing dresses, braids, turbans, and ancient slippers.

No matter how spiritually lost they may be, you've got to admire commitment like that. This is in today's world - where we are constantly being pushed and shoved around to fit under a certain expectation.

Haven't you noticed how easy it is to tell what religion they're from - or at least what group of people? Even from a really young age, you can tell - because little boys and girls aren't allowed to cut their hair. (at least, this is my understanding....)


As Christians, what makes us different? Are we always as pleasant to strangers as they are? People don't necessarily have to be able to tell your beliefs by a single glance. But what impression do they get after interacting with you?

No, I haven't forgotten. We are saved by grace through faith and not by works - which sadly many of these religions believe we have to do to be saved. So we don't have to dress up in long dresses and cover ourselves up to our noses and drive out to a temple five times a day.

But what God does want us to do is to be attentive to His leading - to separate ourselves from the world. You can't be the same "except for Jesus". There has to be change in your life.

Romans 12:2 says and do not conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind - that you may prove what is that good and acceptable, and perfect will of God.

Am I willing to face whatever discrimination may come so that Christ is proclaimed? Giving up certain styles of clothing, music, or speech? Where does my identity lie, and how does that play a role in my life?

Our way of life is influenced so heavily on what we believe about ourselves. What do my actions say about what I believe? What kind of "turban" do I wear? =P

I can't ever stay with one thing, can I?

I must ask again for your feedback. And in this case it is most desperately needed because I made such drastic changes.

I started a different blog a few days ago so I could post essentially what I post here but without the pictures/real names of other people so that I could share it with more people (like the forum I administrate). But it turned out so nicely that I decided to make this blog like it.

I'm not so sure I like the title for forever....or the background. I may just keep it till I'm sick of it and revert back to the lovely purpleness. But right now I'm in love with the books, the quote, and the title.

So tell me what you think. (That's a nice way of saying: PLEASE COMMENT!!! =P)

Verse Of The Day

For it is God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

So then death is working in us, but life in you...Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. -2 Corinthians 4:5-12, 16-18

Live Fully, Laugh Often, Love Always

The Song You Sing

We all have excuses// why living in fear//something in us dies//
Like a bird with broken wings//its not how high he flies//but the song he sings
(Courage Is, The Strange Familiar)

Crazy Jesus People

I was thinking about the word "Jesus" last night. Isn't it sad how much that word is thrown around?

"Jesus freaks!"
"Jesus is a crutch"
"Jesus, Mama, are you sure you want to do that?"
"I don't like that Jesus thing"
"She's one of those Jesus people"

It means something different to different people - and some people take it as offensive.

You people who are still doing awana quizzing (or still remember it) can tell me the reference in the Bible that talks about how the Gospel is foolishness to the Gentiles and a stumbling block for the Jews. (or was it the other way around?)

At any rate, unsaved people don't know the depth to the word "Jesus". But as Christians, think how much we can pull from that one word. Think how much meaning there is in that single word - "Jesus".

He is our refuge, our strength, our redeemer, comforter, friend, brother, GOD, Lord, master, savior, and everything else. Our ALL. Every part of us depends on Him (or should) and our life comes only through Him.