I’ve been thinking about the last entry from my last post . . . that one of my favorite things is Dvorak’s New World Symphony. It is a special experience for me. In high school we performed this piece for a statewide band competition. It was hard. We struggled. We practiced it a lot. I remember sitting in the midst of the band in an auditorium at Northern Arizona University, with my flute raised to my lips as we finished the last notes. We played it well. It was exhilarating. I think I might have even teared up a bit, and I still do when I hear it played live even now . . . so many, many years later.

The music is moving, yes. But it’s more. Its melody, its harmony of sounds, brings me back to the experience of working really hard at something that doesn’t come easy. It’s tackling a challenge, being persistent, and then succeeding. There’s no other feeling like it.

I’m encouraged to reflect on that experience as I confront other challenges now. Persistence pays off. It not only helps to accomplish one goal, but its success gives us the courage to carry on to the next goal and the next. It builds momentum. My New World Symphony experience propels me forward into a new world even now.  I appreciate personal treasures like this that form markers in our lives. I look forward to creating a few more in this new world.