Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises. Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody. With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD.

Painters work with space; gardeners use different parts of the lawn; the musician works with time; one note after the other.  Music both asks us and also enables us to listen to certain qualities of time-to the grandeur of time, says Bach, to the poignance of time, says Mozart, to the swing and shimmer of time, says Debussy, or however else you choose to put into words the richness and complexity of what each of them is wordlessly "saying."

The thing I learned from music is how to listen to the music of our own time, moment to moment.  For some, it might be the classical sounds. For me it is a culmination of bluegrass and rock.  Sometimes I want to hear the honesty of natural instruments. and other times I want to get loud and then louder.  But then there is also the rustling of the leaves against the wind, or the sound of the dogs panting on a walk. Music keeps us in touch with time. 

This week is Mothers' Day and when I think of music and time, I think of the ways a mother's love can slow time: a hug in the morning, a mother calling out for her children to come home, the phone call that comes at just the right time, the eye contact before the big moment. When time slows, when we get caught in that single moment, when all we know is that we are loved, this is when we get a glimpse of eternity. 

Thank God for Mothers!