If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em

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I have a little confession to make-

I do NOT like loud noises.  Of any kind.

As a former elementary music teacher, I remember the days of teaching eager budding musicians…the rite of passage for a 4th grader was getting their very own recorder and learning to play this instrument.  But learning to play any instrument is a painful process- and there is indeed a slight discomfort inflicted on the listener’s ears as their skills are “fine tuned”.  I heard many “skwaaaaks” in those years!

Now my youngest has received her very own recorder.  Knowing how much I love music, she is always eager to practice and play for me.  And I admit- she is quite good at it.  But it is loud.  Very loud.  And her favorite time to play is first thing in the morning- in the kitchen beside me as I make breakfast.

This morning was no different.  I woke up with a terrible back ache and not in the greatest mood.  I managed to wake the girls with my happy sing-song voice as I stumbled down the hallway and into the kitchen.  Both girls got up without even a second wake-up call from me.

As I scrambled eggs, my youngest pulled her recorder out.  I swear she was playing in my ear.  Every fiber of my being wanted to scream.  I calmly asked her to play it in her room while I was cooking.  Oddly enough, she did not challenge me and stopped playing.

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A few minutes later, she returned with her recorder.

“Oh mommy– guess what I’ve got!”  she says to me with a sly smile.

She surprises me with a second recorder.  “Will you play with me?” she sweetly asked me.

And I couldn’t help but laugh.  As if one instrument making loud noise wasn’t enough- now she wanted me to double it.

So I picked it up and joined her in the Wacky March.  And to my surprise, she even taught me a harmony part!

“Momma- you play a G while I play a B here, ok?”

FullSizeRender And quickly my “tolerance” of her noise turned to acceptance. The “noise” turned into music…and the music turned into a symphony in our kitchen. I fell in love with my girl all over again.  When she wants to do something, she is relentless.  She has a passion that inspires me to be a better mom.  And instead of tolerating my children’s loud noise, sometimes I need to join in and see the symphony He is orchestrating in these moments!

How wonderful and pleasant it is
    when brothers (and sisters!) live together in harmony!  Psalm 133

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Julie is an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene. She has a passion for leading worship, writing songs, preaching, teaching, and thrift store shopping. Julie has two amazing teenage daughters, two dogs ("fur babies"), and one wonderful hubby :)

17 thoughts on “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em”

  3. In “reblogging” your entry, I said how quickly… I realize with a headache, the return with the second recorder was probably all too quick and I’m sure the headache didn’t go running for the hills! Still I can imagine for those precious moments, God enabled you to “put the headache aside” just long enough to enjoy those moments. Thanks for sharing. AWESOME story!

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    1. Yes, there’s lots of music! I am blessed 🙂 My other daughter plays the flute and had her fall concert this past Tuesday. It was wonderful to see how far they have come in only a year’s time. Hope you have a great weekend!!

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