Thank God for the Music

I played piano today at the Marriott on an instrument tucked away in a corner by chairs and tables. At first I was sad to be all alone, because it is always nicer to play for people. Then I realized that angels had come to listen to me play, and I thought of how Heavenly Father must have loved to listen to my music and maybe He still comes sometimes. I could feel His love especially strongly tonight, and wondered if He was nearby. I know that I was given a gift, probably to give me some way to accurately express myself. I feel close to the music and sometimes it makes me laugh (or frustrates me, depending on the day) when people talk to me while I am playing because they don't realize that I am already deeply involved in another conversation. I prefer to take off my shoes when I play because through my bare feet I can feel the pulse of the piano so much better, and the cool metal calms me if I am ever nervous. I don't sway and swing when I play like some pianists do. I follow the flow of the music and move when it does. Also, if I can I prefer to play with my eyes closed because it heightens the perceptions of my other senses and I can respond better to the music.

It amazes me how many sounds the music has. Tonight I realized that some music sounds clean, and I added that to my list of adjectives describing it. Sunshiny, rainy, powerful, sincere, bubbly, pensive... These are other ones on the list. I never expect to play a song the same way twice, because the message changes with every playing.

The closeness that I feel with music is what reminds me that there is a God. It is too celestial to be the gradual development of some animal instinct. It is a heavenly heirloom. It puts me in touch with the intangible; feelings like joy, wonder, loneliness, sorrow, and peace are just some of the feelings it presents (the ones that already have names). I once had the thought, "How could a loving (Heavenly) Father send us away without anything to remember Him by? No pictures, no postcards, no trinkets to remind us of the happy life before our mortal birth?" And then I remember the music.