Maps

So I promised a wonderful woman that I would write a post with her in it. I guess that means I should send her the link to my blog.

Anyways, this wonderful lady (we'll call her Mrs. Nellie), always has my back, for musical purposes. I need music? She's got it. I need music printed out and my printer's being a pain? She's got it. I need a lift to a gig? She'll take me. I need a set list? She's got it. I accidentally leave a song at home? She's got extras. I leave my whole set at home? She'll find a solution. She's really quite amazing; she's always willing to inconvenience herself to help others. I greatly admire that quality and pray that one day I will be as loving and as humble as she.

I could write post after post about only these two aspects of her, but I have another in mind. If you're thinking, "Oh, starfish not another metaphor", feel free to smugly look at your computer screen in the triumph of your correct guess.

People say that music is life. I disagree. God is life. However, I do think that music can be the map of life. Not totally "turn left at the sign that says don't eat the apple. It's poisonous" accurate, but it maps out the basics, like "if you need a hand, lean on me" and "how he loves us". It's a general map because every story is different.

Mrs. Nellie helps/gives me music so that I know what to play and when. A chord chart is my map to a song, or sheet music is my map to a masterpiece. God gave us 2 maps. He gave us, first the Bible, which of course has practically everything that could ever occur on earth in it; He also gave us His Son. His Son taught us the value of the Bible by coming down here to earth and demonstrating it Himself. He showed us how to live, and if He knew we still had a question, He would point and say, "For those with questions, see Saint So-And-So".

I know that it's rude to point, but perhaps more than anyone else, Christ points to Mary. If we have a question that He did not answer, then Mary will be able to answer it. Our Lady was wonderful. She was a mother and a virgin, she died a normal death and yet she was a martyr, a sword pierced her heart as the soldier pierced her Son's side with a lance (not literally, by the way), she was crowned Queen, but still remained humble and loyal to her Son and to her God.

Music is a map. Mrs. Nellie gives me my map. Christ is a map. God gave me my map. Well... maps.

Although I'm glad I do have my maps, this does not always mean that the going will be easy. Of course not. Christianity is far too complex for that. No, there will be crossroads.

Turn left to attend Georgia Southern.
Turn right to attend Valdosta State.
Continue straight just to see what happens.

Like those books from years ago, the "have your own adventure" ones. Remember those? I wish we still had them.

Turn to page 45 to fight the dragon.
Continue on to fight the other dragon.
Turn to page 72 to fight both dragons.
Turn to page 364 for a werewolf.

Always crossroads, always wondering. But we have our music. We have our conductor. We have our map. Follow the music and you'll be okay. Follow the map and you'll be just fine. Keep your mind focused on Mary, Christ, and the saints. We'll get to Destination Heaven somehow. Just continue down Highway Virtuous and don't be discouraged if you start seeing signs that say "Prince Charming Lost? Bet'cha he's here!" or "Tired of chasing a goal that seems impossible? Stop here for a closer one". Keep going until you're there.