Fine Lines
The Greatest Music in the World Winter 1999 Josh Bieber
To most, music is for hearing and enjoying. In the car, in the kitchen, or in a darkened room waiting for sleep to come, people listen to their music of choice. Music helps people feel good when they are sad, and it heightens their happiness when they are already happy. It has been said that music can soothe even the savage beast. From the dawn of humanity, music has been a refuge for us in its various forms and styles. To me, music is not something merely to experience from the outside. Music is blood and bone, sweat of labors unknowable, tears and laughter, triumph and despair. Music is not just a collection of sounds arranged in a pleasing way. Music is a part of the universe that has been transformed by the musician into something almost indescribably beautiful. A good song will bring the musician skin to skin with the ultimate reality. I have heard God speak through the notes of a guitar. A tree falls. Men turn the tree into lumber. The right lumber, in the right hands, is molded into the body of a guitar. This guitar is unlike any other guitar ever made. It is different because every artisan is different from the next, and every artisan changes from moment to moment, like a song getting better with time and effort. Iron is changed into steel and wound into guitar strings The guitar and its strings meet and become one. A child is born, unlike any other child, because all children are different. He learns to feel love and pain. The child learns to listen to life instead of watching it. A lifetime of memories are saved in the dark recesses of the mind. These memories will undergo a transformation from mere events to powerful symbols and cries heard in the wilderness. He and the guitar become one. His fingers touch the strings and set them vibrating, sending sound waves into the air. He fills his lungs and lets them relax, making vibrations with his vocal chords. He loses himself, at first in the song, and then in the joy of being in the song. The world whispers the right notes to play and sing, and he responds. As the song builds, his happiness spills over into it, and it is possible to hear his happiness. Not in the words he uses, but in the 27
Winter 2012 way he uses them and the notes they are sung on, is his joy apparent. The singer and the song become one. There is a moment in all great songs where it is impossible to tell the difference between the musician and the music he makes. In this moment, the barriers between an individual and the universe in which he exists seem to grow paper thin. I do not know what Christ or Buddha said concerning music, but I do know that, if salvation exists, it is hidden somewhere between the notes of an octave. I also know that I am one of the acolytes of this salvation, and I count myself fortunate to be such. There have been moments where I have found myself onstage, striking out the chords to a song, and catching a glimpse of that ultimate knowledge. I know that if I could write music that even poorly described part of that experience, it would be the greatest music in the world.
See No Anvil :: Raleigh Wilkerson
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Fine Lines
I Like to Invest in People May 1993 Kay Bret
What would I write today? Would I write of my family – the wonders of them or the problems? Would I write of my health and the frustration and anxiety of the diagnosis given to me this week? Or would I write of the people who touch my life and make a difference! I like to invest in people, special people, those who are honest, work hard, and truly care about others (children and adults) and care about trying to make the world a better place! We may not make huge changes, but even a pebble thrown into the water makes movement farther out. That is how I like to look at life. Those I encourage or help will carry the word on to help others slay their dragons! How many lives do we touch in a day? Was it a positive or negative touch? How easy it is to smile and say, “Hello,” than scowl and groan! Doom and gloom is not my bag. We all have choices with our lives and the problems or challenges that are given us. I truly believe each trial is a learning experience. I have to look hard and search deeply, at times, to learn each lesson and grow, but with God’s help and my friends, I know I can do it. It’s possible, I am sure. I’ve done it! A divorce, the death of my parents with cancer three months apart, and psychological problems with my youngest daughter, all of these made me feel I’m a better person for living through these experiences! We all need a hug, one that says, “Oh, I’m glad to see you,” or one that says, “I’m sorry, I know you hurt, just know I care.” Sincerity seems to be a rare commodity. If I don’t really mean it, I don’t say it! I am convinced writing really helps sort out our values and know ourselves. It allows me to know if I control my feelings or if I let people and surroundings dictate my attitude! We have to be a friend to have a friend. It’s like marriage. It takes work on both sides. How many friends, not acquaintances, do we have in a lifetime? I’ve found death and divorce certainly clarify that issue, and isn’t that a shame? When we most need support, hugs, and reassurance, many people scatter in the breeze. Few stay to hold our hands or offer their 29
Winter 2012 shoulders and hugs! Those who are there through the good and bad times are worth more than diamonds and gold. Money does not buy true friends. Life experiences and walking together day by day are the materials of which true friends are created. They help me see the dragons and help me slay them!
Humanity :: Anna Schmidt
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Fine Lines
My American Hero Summer 1996
Meghan Brune Caring, teaching, helping, and sharing. What does it take to be a hero? People have their own ideas about this because we all have different needs and wants. There are all kinds of heroes, one for almost everything you can think of. One that stands forward in my mind is a lady that changed my life like no one else, and she does this every day. It isn’t a one time occurrence. It is her job. Mrs. Fleming at Oakdale Elementary School in District 66, Omaha, NE, my sixth grade teacher, was a very special person, especially for me. From the day I entered her classroom to the minute I graduated and moved on to middle school, I was treated with respect and understanding. This treatment made me want to make her proud and to do the best I could. The great thing about her was that this feeling she could give to others was not just for one, but for anyone and everyone she met. Often kids at this age are considered wild, impolite, and immature. For this reason, they are treated as lower than adults and as not having thoughts or feelings of real value. My sixth grade teacher saw through the preconceived ideas of all of us. When she looked at us, it was like she realized that she had the most precious gold in the world, not yet polished to its full potential. She knew that her students were talented in one way or another, and by the time we moved on, she let us all shine in our own ways. Learning can be a hard thing to do, if it is not taught in an interesting way that holds everyone’s attention. My teacher had all kinds of methods of teaching, and I can tell you that all of us had a raise in our grades when we found ourselves learning and remembering. She also had all kinds of anecdotes about her family, friends, and past students. She was always sharing her life with us and making us feel like we were a part of it, which we definitely were. I remember how she used to put in so many hours after school, before school, and during school with me, helping me do special projects and to talk about things that I was working on or could use some help on. Another thing she did was spend many hours on plays and musicals. My class very 31
Winter 2012 much enjoyed these, and she always went further to include us all in some way; be it the acting, lighting, scenery, or directing; we all fit in, always. Through it all, she was patient, yet strong, giving us someone to have fun with and respect. Heroes can be anywhere, anytime. Unexpected or expected. My sixth grade teacher was a hero every day of the week, cheering us on to succeed. I admire her for her strength, love, and caring. She is my American hero.
“It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.”
– James Thurber, American humorist, 1894-1961
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