The Work We've Been Given

"Go home and be good to your wife. Treat your children with respect. And do a good job at whatever you've been given to do."

--Eugene Peterson's response when asked what he would say if he knew that he was about to preach his last sermon, quoted in Subversive Spirituality

I read these words this morning after taking my mother to the airport so that she can fly across the country to see the next of her grandchildren graduate from high school. My oldest son gave his valedictorian address this past Monday evening. Needless to say, I am an obnoxiously proud father and my life has been overflowing with more emotions and memories than I have been able to process. So today, my 71 year-old mother is flying across 3000 miles of sky just so that she can witness another piece of our tribe's history and to build even more memories. I have heard it said recently that it takes a whole life to make real art. These days this is the context that informs the notes I will play tomorrow afternoon as I recreate my versions of Beethoven and Chopin. This is the work that I have been given to do, and I pray for the grace to do it well.