Ignacy Jan Paderewski
~ the great Polish pianist ~
1860-1941
Ignacy Jan Paderewski, the great Polish pianist…let me tell you how a little boy met him….
I am blessed to have many friends, too many to count; but one in particular I’d like you to meet.
Elda is a sweet, generous, petite widow, and is a self-appointed fan in my writing world. We have tea together on occasion, and share our interest in poetry, music and, of course, reading. I took a banana loaf on my recent visit—just for her, not to be shared with me—so she made bran muffins instead! She’s that sweet. She’s also eighty-five years old.
The limited space on this blog page prevents me from sharing all the notes she sends to me to encourage, motivate and support my writing endeavours. But I feel pressed to share one I received recently…a story—not written by Elda—but one she has kept for many years. It came a couple of weeks ago, typed on a little slip of paper inside a Thank You card (for the banana loaf!) with the added note in her handwriting, “Ruth, this makes me think about your great talent in writing!” [See! I said she was encouraging! I’m not sure where the great comes from, but I do love it!]
The story was written by an unknown author but worth every moment of your time to read.
Wishing to encourage her young son’s progress on the piano, a mother took the small boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked, NO ADMITTANCE. When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that her son was missing.
Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focussed on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano and whispered in the boy’s ear, “Don’t quite. Keep playing.” Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a base part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a running obligato. Together, the old master and the young novice transformed a frightening situation into a wonderful creative experience. The audience was mesmerized.
That’s the way it is with God. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren’t exactly graceful flowing music. But with the hand of the Master, our life’s work truly can be beautiful.
The next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You can hear the voice of the Master whispering in your ear, “Don’t quit. Keep playing.” Feel His loving arms around you. Know that His strong hands are playing the concerto of your life. Remember, God doesn’t call the equipped. He equips the called. And He’ll always be there to love and guide you on to great things.
See what I mean. How could I not feel motivated? That’s the kind of encouragement I get from Elda. When I question if I should continue or admit I’m afraid to believe in my efforts, she is there to cheer me on. I believe each of us needs an Elda in our lives. Wouldn’t you agree?
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Ruth, this story brought a tear to my eye. This truly is how God, our Father, raises us in this world. Both arms around us, helping, encouraging.
One more point comes to mind that wasn’t mentioned in the story. God doesn’t care if there’s a huge, audience watching. He loves, helps and encourages us, no matter how big a faux pas we’re in the midst of committing!
Thanks for sharing. And give your encouraging friend a hug for all us writers. Such encouragers are rare.
Bobbi
I’ll be very sure to hug Elda. She no longer goes on line so is unable to read this little tribute to her. Thanks for connecting. I think we writers need encouragement and support often. Blessings!!
Thanks for the encouraging post, Ruth. Great timing!
You’re more than welcome!
Beautiful Ruth! It is so important for us to encourage each other, but how much more encouraging is it that God can take our feeble efforts to serve Him through our writing or other gifts and talents and turn them into something breathtakingly beautiful. Thank you (and Elda) for the reminder!
Sara, I don’t know about you but far too often my writing takes a hit, usually from a busy day and often from discouragement. I truly believe that the enemy does everything he can to prevent the message of God (in all forms, especially writing) from being shared. Reminders are just that…something to help us remember Who we are writing for. Appreciate your encouraging words.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful story. It brought a tear to my eye. A kind word reaches into our hearts. It impacts and encourages us to know that someone recognizes and believes in our efforts whether large or small. We need more Elda’s who share their ‘great’ gift of encouragement.
Glad you liked it, Heather. I knew you would! Indeed, we DO need more Eldas in our lives, and it’s a reminder for us to be ready and willing to be an encourager whenever the need arises…as you are to me!
Great story Ruth. In addition to the underlying message, it also shows we are never too old to encourage someone or to be encouraged by someone. Love you.
Thanks, Susan. We all need to give and receive encouragement if we want to enrich our lives. You do that for me!
Thanks for sharing this Ruth. It has me really thinking…………
I thought it might, you being such a committed piano teacher to children. I found it a very inspiring story!
Hello Ruth –
I enjoyed our time together at the speaking competition. It was good to share impressions and ideas on the speeches – and meet you.
I took a quick look at your website with all the interesting topics and thoughts. What an encouraging ministry God has opened for you.
I read a couple of your posted blogs and as I was currently reading a book by Paul E. Billheimer, entitled, Don’t Waste Your Sorrows, a few lines from the book jumped out at me that seemed to connect to the blog on “Time” and your focus on suffering.
I’ll quote them here as the author says it a whole lot better than I would be able:
” The centre of gravity of God’s discipline is not time but eternity. Allowing God’s discipline to wean one from vain ambition and selfishness increases agape love and transmutes one’s brokenness into eternal glory. Rejecting and refusing the painful circumstances which God planned …is to waste one’s sorrows.”
Having a glimpse of the erternal value of suffering helps us to better understand the “joy” that James speaks about when we are in the midst of pain and tribulation. It seems to be all about building God’s character in us.
Blessings to you, Ruth. Lynette
So nice to see your thought-provoking response to my blogging efforts. I, too, enjoyed our morning together listening to the young minds share their stories. Maybe in two years we’ll be privileged to be judges again! In the meantime, let’s stay in touch. Perhaps a coffee or a chai latte (for me!) when you are in Lindsay. Cheers!
A chai latte! What an adventure! Getting together sounds like fun. I’ll let you know when I’m planning on coming in and see if the time works for you. Blessings.
Heading to Florida for the month of March. We’ll have to plan our little ‘adventure’ in the spring!!! Take care!
What a wonderful word-picture of Abba’s encouragement to each of his children. God bless you Ruth!
-Thanks, Brenda and welcome to my blog page! The above is two-year-old blog, but one of my favourites. Love our friendship:)