Line by Line

My son and I have been spending time doing art...pencil drawings that we found on YouTube.  It has been fun and educational as we learn to draw.  

This morning I woke up with the phrase “line by line” in my mind.  

I am not a natural artist...or a natural musician. My music for years and years was more by note, reading the notes and searching for beautiful arrangements of the notes so that I could play something pleasant to listen to.  Within the past few years I have had a teacher who has encouraged me to get away from note by note and feel the music more...then play from my heart.  Keeping my ears on the sounds and using what I have learned to create something pretty...rather than keeping my eyes on the notes only.  He encourages me to listen to the music and keep my ears open instead of blindly “walking” a set path I have put before myself. 

And the art I have been learning has been by following a teacher.  Line by line.  When the teacher draws a square, I draw a square.  When the teacher says to curve a line, I curve a line.  To me when I am drawing it looks like a lot of lines but gradually the teacher connects the lines and adds shadings and as I watch and follow my blank piece of paper takes form.  It is better than what I can come up with on my own.  Trust me...I tried freehand drawing what was in my mind.  Somewhere there is a broken connection.

But when I take it a line at a time, waiting for the teacher to lead me...something beautiful and unexpected emerges.  When I listen to the music my teacher plays carefully and hear what needs to be added or even taken away, then something beautiful and unexpected emerges.  

And when I keep my eyes on Jesus...and my ears tuned to His Word...despite feeling like I do not know what is going to emerge during this time of stress and anxiety...He will make something beautiful of it.  Sometimes less is more in music...my teacher will say ,”Leave space for the music ...hold it without adding anything to it.”  Sometimes the art teacher will say erase the lines now and leave space on the page. And I think as many things are being removed from me with social distancing and shelter in place...God is saying,” I want to fill the emptiness with Me.  Keep your eyes on Me.  Listen to Me.  Hold on...and don’t add to what I am doing in your life.  I will make something beautiful out of this.”

My eyes are on You, Jesus.  My ears are tuned to You, Jesus.  I have seen what You bring up out of the ashes. 

You brought life out of death and joy out of mourning. Help me keep focused on You, my Teacher and my Savior and my Lord.  Amen.

Corona Changes

This is just me sharing a photo that was odd coming home from Charlotte today from E. infusion.  On I-85 for at least a half a mile or so was that highly valuable commodity-toilet paper- strewn down the side of the concrete barrier! Rolls and rolls of toilet paper ripe for the picking of you could master the obstacle course of oncoming traffic :)

It was so strange.  For almost four years now we have been coming to Levine a for infusions.  D. always complains about the traffic when he drives...and it is treacherous at times and frustrating at the least.  However, today in Mecklenburg county there were notable changes .  It was the first day of the “shelter in place” order for their county.

1). The traffic was cut by at least half.  The drive that normally takes us at least an hour and forty minutes was made in an hour and fifteen.

2). In downtown Charlotte it was like a skeleton crew town.  No cars filling the parking lots.  Stores closed.  No crowds of people walking and lingering in small groups talking.  The only people I saw on the streets were construction workers and a couple of people walking their dogs. 

3). The many huge jets flying in and out of Charlotte airport which we love seeing were reduced to just two.

4). The train station where everyone parks to grab a ride into Charlotte had an empty parking lot. 

5). The noise level was so much quieter...fewer cars and trucks and people and construction.

6).  Even the beggars that stand at certain places, the homeless, were not in their normal places.  I did see one man in a sleeping bag with his belongings around him up under a bridge sleeping on the ground and I thought how lonely that must be.

7). On the road to turn into the hospital there is now a booth with a man with protective garb who stops your vehicle and asks what your business is on that road.  He waved us they when we explained that our little boy had to get an infusion today.

8). D. dropped us off but stayed in the truck instead of coming in as usual so there would be one less person in the infusion bay.

9). Before we could enter the hospital there was a guard and nurses set up at a table asking if we had coughs or fevers or runny noses.  We had to fill out a paper stating yes or no.  When I told her we did have runny noses but it was because of the pollen, she understood but said she had to put a pink bracelet on us.

10). Inside there was not the normal mulling around of hospital personnel...just the receptionist to give us our parent sticker and masks and the guard at the elevator. 

11). In the past we have had to wait for the elevator and crowd in with other parents and nurses and children.  Not today.  I pushed the button with a paper towel I carried in and the elevator opened to an empty space.  We rode up to the Infusion center.  Again no families waiting in the waiting rooms.  No nurses and doctors and administrative personnel busily walking and talking.

12). The infusion center was empty...just us.  Usually filled bays.  As we left one other family came in and was out at the opposite end.  Curtains were drawn.  Nurses masked and no hugging like usual.  Distances maintained.  Except the ones doing the IV.  We always pray before the IV and I prayed for our nurses and all those working in the hospital.  I cried a little , thanking God for nurses willing to get out there and keep helping children.  After “Amen” the nurse was a bit teary eyed too. 

13) It was also the first time E. had to go without his special dog that has been with him at all the dr visits and infusions.  To prevent any possibility of contamination we didn’t bring him into the hospital.  And the nurse said he should probably stay home at the next apt. in two months too.  But she went and got a new stuffed dog out of the closet for E. to hold onto which was very sweet but “just not the same”.

14). The things that were different were many.  The things that were the same were the few but the important things...gentleness and kindness from our nurses, caring amongst everyone, and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” sang loudly while the IV was being put in.  I thank God for the blessings and I pray His protection over the medical personnel working to still care for the sick.  

Just my thoughts.