Tag: Facing Challenges

  • Whether this lovely story is fact or folklore, it has a message for us all as we try to cope with the challenges of life

    The mother of a young son, let's call her "Amelia," read in her morning paper that the world-famous pianist Igor Paderewski was giving a concert in their city. Right away she telephoned the box office and reserved two tickets.

    She had good reason to want those tickets.                                                 Blog. Boy at piano. 1.16

    The night before, her otherwise-sweet son, "Aiden" had marched out to the kitchen and said, "Mama, I hate taking piano lessons and I hate practicing every day and I wanna quit! Now!"

    Amelia told him he could have a break for a couple of days. Then she racked her brain for what to do.

    That's when she read of the concert

    Once she had ordered the tickets she told her boy, "We'll talk about piano lessons next week, Aiden. But first you and I are going to have an adventure. A famous piano artist is visiting our city that day. His name is Igor Paderewski and he performs all over the world. I really want to hear him, but I don't want to go to that concert alone.

    "How about I take you out of school on Thursday and we can can go downtown together? If you'll go with me we'll have hamburgers and ice cream sodas or whatever you want for lunch. Then after the concert is over I'll take you to my favorite dessert place and you can order anything you want."

    What kid would turn down an offer like that?

    The day of the concert the pair arrived early at the concert hall

    Soon after they found their seats Amelia spotted an old friend a few aisles over and went down to say Hello.  The two hadn't seen each other for over a year, so they didn't stop with Hello.

    Within a few minutes her son did what young boys do. He whistled and fidgeted and squirmed in his seat. After a few minutes he went exploring. Eventually Aiden came to a door marked, "No Admittance" and walked through it.

    As soon as the house lights dimmed and the audience grew quiet, his mother returned to her seat. That's when she discovered her son was missing.

    Just then the stage curtains parted

    Spotlights from above and footlights from in front focused on the huge, gleaming Steinway grand piano in the middle of the stage. There sat her Aiden at the keyboard, calmly plunking out the only song he knew from memory: "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."

    Before Amelia had time to think the great piano master walked onstage. The audience greeted him with loud applause as he quickly moved to the piano.

    Aiden never noticed.

    At this his mother sank low into her seat, blushing bright red and dreading what would come next.

    The great maestro leaned down and whispered into the boy's ear and the youngster kept playing

    Paderewski stood behind Aiden and reaching down with his left hand, he began filling in a bass harmony. Soon he stretched his right arm around the other side of the child and added a running counter-melody.

    Together, the master and the young boy made beautiful music and kept the audience mesmerized through several variations. At the end of the piece, they shook hands solemnly and bowed. The audience clapped and cheered as an usher escorted Aiden off the stage. 

    That performance became a one-of-a-kind experience that kept everyone in the concert hall talking long after–especially Amelia.

    Over their hot fudge sundaes, Amelia asked Aiden, "I saw that Mr. Paderewski whispered in your ear. What did he say?"

    "Aw, nuthin' special. He just said, 'Don't quit. Keep playing.' So I did."

    Paderewski died in 1941, but the message of that tale is as fresh as a new calendar page

    "Don't quit. Just keep playing."

    So you and I do our best to meet the challenges of our lives, but the results aren't exactly graceful and flowing. We flounder on, playing our own version of "Twinkle, Twinkle … . " 

    At last we turn for help to the One who knows us best. 

    With Him, our oh-so-ordinary efforts often come together to be more than we could have imagined. The music of our lives becomes more beautiful than we could ever make on our own.

    So the next time you set out to accomplish something that scares you silly, or you're at the end of your strength, stop and listen carefully. You'll hear our loving Lord whispering, "Don't quit. Keep playing."

    His strong hands are with us always, lifting us, helping us, enabling us to cope.  

    Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.   Isaiah 41:10 

    Our task is simply to keep going and keep on trusting. It's as Solomon said in Proverbs 3:5-6, here from The Message paraphrase:

    Trust God from the bottom of your heart, don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track.

    No better advice for living could be found anywhere. I've found this promise to be true in my life.

    How about you? 

    Still growing,

    Lenore

    Help for when you’re feeling in over your head

  • Have you ever doubted your ability to give your children what they need? 

    Most of us have. Then it's good to remind ourselves about individuals who overcame big challenges and reared solid families. Blog. Ben Carson. 3.17

    My favorite example is Sonya Carson. I've admired her ever since her younger son, Ben–yes, that Ben Carson–held our convention audience spellbound as he told of his growing-up years. 

    Sonya coped with challenges most of us can't imagine. 

    • She only completed Grade 3 in school
    • At age 13 she married 28 year-old Robert Carson
    • They moved to Detroit after he finished his U.S. Army service
    • Son Curtis arrived when Sonya was 20 and Ben, two years later 
    • Five years later she discovered her husband "forgot" to mention his other (first) wife and children–and still supported them
    • Within two years Sonya and Robert separated, then she divorced him
    • She and the boys moved in with relatives in Boston
    • Two years later the Sonya and her boys moved back to Detroit and into subsidized housing

    Sonya was determined to provide for her family

    She took whatever honest low-skills, low-pay jobs she could find, working two or three at a time. She left before dawn and came home late, often finding her sons asleep in front of the television set. 

    Each day the boys got themselves up, then walked along the railroad track to school. Classmates called fifth-grader Ben the dumbest kid in class and made jokes about him. 

    Almost every Sunday the trio attended their church at least once.

    One day he brought home a report card that changed his life 

    His mother was not happy. "You're a smart boy, Bennie! I know you can do better! If you keep up like this, you'll end up sweeping floors or on skid row. That's not the kind of life I want for you–and neither does God."

    Sonya turned to God, whom she calls her friend and partner, and asked for wisdom.

    A day or so later she announced new rules and pledged her sons to honor them.

    • Come home home immediately after school
    • No playing outside until after homework is done
    • Be inside the apartment by sunset, with doors locked; Halls and public areas are dangerous
    • Only two TV programs per week–after homework
    • Each week read two books from the neighborhood public library and write a book report
    • Mother will critique each book report 

    The boys complained and friends criticized, but nothing swayed Sonya

    She told them, "I know you boys have good minds. If you can read, you can learn just about anything you want to know. The doors of the world are open to people who can read."  

    Before long the friendly public librarians knew both boys well. Each week Sonya Carson carefully read their book reports, asking questions and offering encouragement. (For years it didn't occur to her sons she might not understand every word she read.)

    First Bennie read his way through the section on animals and then tackled books about rocks. The crushed rocks along the track now fascinated him. By the middle of his sixth grade, Benjamin led his class.

    Ben's biggest challenge

    All along Ben struggled with his violent temper, which led to frequent confrontations with classmates. The turning point came when he was 14 and stabbed a friend. Only that boy's heavy metal belt buckle saved his life.

    Ben ran home and locked himself in the bathroom with his Bible. He stayed there for hours, asking God to help him deal with his temper. He found many verses about anger in the Book of Proverbs. Proverbs 16:32 pierced his heart:

    "Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city." 

    Ben vowed that with God's help, he would control his anger, rather than let his anger control him. After that his temper no longer troubled him.

    Sonya's plan pays big dividends

    FBlog. Ben Carson. Mother. 3.17rom then on Ben poured himself into his studies, graduated high school, entered Yale in 1969, then went on to medical school. (Older brother Curtis, became an engineer and designed airplane parts.) At age 33, Benjamin Solomon Carson, M.D., became the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins. He pioneered in separating co-joined (Siamese) twins. 

    A committed Christian, he still reads from the Book of Proverbs, morning and evening.

    Like Mother, like son

    Ben discounts the lifetime effect of poverty and racial prejudice.

    "The person who has the most to do with who you are and what you become is you." 

    "My mother used to say, 'If you walk into an auditorium full of racist, bigoted people … you don't have a problem, they have a problem …'

    His philosophy probably stems from from Sonya Carson's frequent admonition to her sons: 

    "You do your best and God will do the rest."

    She lived that principle herself. "My job was to prepare them. And I turned to God for help every inch of the way."

    You are equipped to rear your kids

    You'll have days you feel life is too hard or think you lack what it takes. If money is tight, you may fear you're shortchanging your children. 

    Then call Sonya Carson and her courage to mind. Think of the rich gifts she gave her sons in that dismal setting! She spoke courage when she didn't know how she'd get through the week. She set limits for her children, always speaking faith and confidence. They grew strong from within–and so did she. 

    Not once did she walk alone. Neither do you, if, like Sonya, God is your friend and your partner.

    Blessings,

    Lenore        

    Take heart, Mom. You are your child’s biggest “advantage” in life