Heath Ledger: 1979-2008

We were watching A Knight's Tale last night, one of two Heath Ledger movies being screened on TV as a tribute to the Australian actor, who had died suddenly on Jan 23 at the age of 28.

At every commercial break, these terse words would flash on the screen:
Heath Ledger 1979-2008

How bleak and harsh they were.

Surely they couldn't be referring to the lively, funny, big-hearted hero being portrayed on screen.

It just didn't seem right that he was cut off before the prime of his life.

"He's younger than you," observed hubby.

"Yup, only 28, what a pity. Would you say he has achieved more than most people?"

"Of course," came the instant reply.

"Isn't it obvious?" was unspoken.

It made me think.

How do you measure the impact of a person's life against his peers'?

How do you tell what a person's legacy was, and whether he had lived to his fullest potential?

Is the significance of a man's life dictated by the length of his days?

Is the significance of a man's life dictated by how many people knew him?

By "knew", I mean not only those who, by virtue of their professional achievements and choice of profession, attained great celebrity (or notoriety) and thus were known by name to thousands.

I refer also to the many who are quietly missed and fondly remembered, whose names appear only in an obituary in the local paper, if even that.

Their names are remembered only by those who knew them personally.
But oh, what fond, funny and heartwarming tales they would tell!

They might talk of how, wherever Mr A saw need, he would plant help and hope, and how this started a cycle of paying it forward.

The legacies of these quiet heroes will live on in lives touched by the simple, ordinary acts of love, courage and kindness that they faithfully performed while they lived.

If God has created every person on this earth for a specific mission and purpose, what then was Heath Ledger's mission and purpose?

When he died as tragically as he did, had he already fulfilled his mission and purpose?

What will people remember him for 10, 20, 50 years from now?

I suppose it depends on whom you ask.

1979-2008.

2 numbers that bookend the start and end of a person's time on earth, time that once gone can never be retrieved.

1979: A baby boy is born into a loving family. His parents rejoice at this new addition to the family, and dream of what his future might be.

2008: The same parents who have lovingly raised their son to adulthood and proudly watched as he achieved worldwide acclaim for his acting talent and wise choice of acting roles, now have the grievous task of burying him.

What a sobering reminder of how volatile the future can be.

"Teach me to number my days, O Lord, that I may be wise," says the Psalmist.

Helpful resource:
http://www.holybible.com/resources/living_learning/fall_1998/teach_numbers.htm

You Are Who You Are For A Reason

Poem by Russell Kelfer
From Chapter 2, The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren

You are who you are for a reason
You're part of an intricate plan
You're a precious and perfect unique design
Called God's special woman or man

You look like you look for a reason
Our God made no mistake
He knit you together within the womb
You're just what he wanted to make

The parents you had were the ones he chose
And no matter how you may feel
They were custom-designed with God's plan in mind
And they bear the Master's seal

No, that trauma you faced was not easy
And God wept that it hurt you so
But it was allowed to shape your heart
So that into his likeness you'd grow

You are who you are for a reason
You’ve been formed by the Master's rod
You are who you are, beloved,
Because there is a God!

Anthony Robbins, NLP and Christianity

If you're a fan of self-empowerment and self-improvement, you will almost certainly have encountered Anthony Robbins at some point.

His books: Unlimited Power, Awaken The Giant Within and Giant Steps, are international bestsellers.

His seminars are legendary, as much for their drama (firewalking!) as for their cost.

While researching NLP and whether it conflicts with Christian doctrine, I came across these helpful resources:

• An article on ReachoutTrust.org about what NLP is and how its teachings are at odds with Christianity.
• An analysis of Anthony Robbins' teachings (Anthony Robbins and the Quest for Unlimited Power).

Learning Piano All Over Again

I've taken the next step in the process of shedding my classical training and all the joylessness and inhibition that came with it.

I Googled "teach piano to beginners" and found these cool sites:

www.piano-lessons-central.com
www.chordpiano.com
www.readmusicfast.com
www.playpiano.com

They are all written by US-based piano teacher Duane Shinn.

I love his video clips, especially the ones where he demonstrates complex chord progressions and improvises to different rhythms like jazz and swing (have always wanted to do that but don't know how).

I feel like I can really learn this new stuff, even if I've spent my entire childhood and adolescence steeped in a discipline I didn't enjoy.
I feel inspired to try different things the next time I go for band practice in church.
Inspiration is a beautiful thing!

The Magic Of Thinking Big

As long as you are going to go about your day thinking anyway, you may as well "think big".

Anyone can think small, and most people do.

In fact, most people keep themselves in the same place in life, doing the exact same thing, without significant growth or change because of limited or conditioned thinking.

Don't just think about what is possible, think about what might seem nearly impossible, that would require you to grow and move beyond who you currently know yourself to be.

Think about what you have always wanted to do or have in your life ... those things that your heart speaks of.

"If you can dream it, you can do it." ~Walt Disney

Thinking big equals going big.

Thinking small means staying small.

You decide.

You get to choose your thoughts.

Be outrageous and let your imagination fly.

This does not mean thinking unrealistic, pie-in-the-sky stuff, like being able to suddenly perform superhuman feats.

It means allowing yourself to stretch and believe in the beauty of your dreams.

Adapted from the Coaching Compass newsletter

Simply Music, Simply Divine

Do you, like most people, believe that a person is born musical?

That in order to master the keyboard well enough to play it for your own pleasure, you have to spend years learning it?

That only those who started learning when they were children would have any hope of getting really good at it?

While looking up the Internet for ways to teach piano to adult beginners, I came upon a fantastic site, SimplyMusic.com.

This is an Australian-developed program that teaches students to play music before they can read music, that focuses on hands-on learning rather than rote learning of theory and technique.

The program wants to make music accessible to everyone. In that sense, it's revolutionary.

I've been looking for something like this without knowing it.

I'm so excited I've printed the brochures off so I can study them properly.

If this is what it claims to be, I've just found my answer to something I've been struggling with - how to teach piano to adult learners without a piano teaching qualification and without being a concert-level pianist.

I've noticed a growing interest in my community from adults who just want to learn to play simple songs for their own pleasure and fulfilment. They're motivated, they're self-directed, they're hungry to learn. They don't want heaps of theory or to sit exams. Most importantly, they're adults, so we speak the same lingo. They're my kind of students, and I want to learn how to reach them and teach them so they can start to experience the joy and aliveness and power that Music has given me.

Just imagine the possibilities....I can hardly wait!