We have seen Yitzhak Perlman, the famous violinist
Who walks the stage with braces on both legs,
On two crutches.
He takes his seat, unhinges the clasps of his legs
Tucking one leg back, extending the other,
Laying down his crutches, placing the violin under his chin.
On one occasion one of his violin strings broke.
The audience grew silent but the violinist did not leave the stage.
He signaled the maestro, and the orchestra began its part.
The violinist played with power and intensity on only three strings.
With three strings, he modulated, changed and
Recomposed the piece in his head
He retuned the strings to get different sounds,
Turned them upward and downward.
The audience screamed with delight,
Applauded their appreciation.
Asked later how he had accomplished this feat,
The violinist answered,
"It is my task to make music with what remains."
A legacy mightier than a concert.
Make music with what remains.
Complete the song left for us to sing.
Transcend the loss,
Play it out with heart, soul and might
With all remaining strength within us.
The reason this poem appealed to me was because Deborah was also a violinist. She completed level five Royal Conservatory, and had a decision to make. Will she continue with violin or choose the piano which she also played. Her violin teacher wishes that she had kept on with the violin. In any case, I am reminded that despite our loss, "Play it (life) out with heart, soul and might, with all remaining strength within us", as this poet proclaims. Please see the video below, as Joshua Bell plays violin. We need to recognize the genius in others when we see it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM21gPmkDpI
Just today as I was sharing this poem about the girls, and how now there are only three of them, I reflected on how it is up to the three of them to impact the world for God. The fourth string is not here, and how vital she was. My three daughters have to play music, and make history without her, and so do we.
Deborah teaching a friend on the Blutner
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