Having a Breakthrough

Have you ever had a breakthrough? Perhaps it was a task that you kept at until you accomplished your goal. Maybe you have spent years praying about something until the prayer came automatic to the point where you didn't wait with eager expectation anymore, just trudged on. Then, an answer comes - a breakthrough.

Today I experienced a breakthrough of another sort. It was a breakthrough that someone else had and I was privy to it. It came so unexpectedly that it brought a smile to my heart.

For months (and months) my son has been practicing the song Fur Elise, by Beethoven. It seems like one of those songs that is so simple, yet complicated all at the same time. I can't say if it is more simple or more complicated, however. I am not a musician. What I do know is it is beautiful.

As I said, my son (13 years old) has been playing it for months, painstakingly playing it slowly (more slowly than intended by Beethoven, I think) and with error and great concentration. At first, in this process, I waited for improvement. I would stand in the kitchen washing dishes as he practiced and I'd wait, expectantly. Improvement did not come. Not enough improvement at a pace that would cause one to take notice anyway. I stopped several weeks ago waiting and hoping for the song to get better, more palatable to the ear, not because I have no faith in my son's ability and not because I didn't think it would actually improve. I simply stopped consciously waiting. I guess I became complacent.

Then tonight, as I sat in my kitchen working on my laptop, I suddenly realized that someone was playing Fur Elise quite well. Knowing that my husband was on his way to pick up my daughter from orchestra practice and I was on the computer, there were only two other explanations:  Either my German Spitz had developed an amazing ability to play Beethoven with her paws and I was on the brink of making an appearance on the Jay Leno show, or my son had a breakthrough.

You are right if you guessed it was my son. Still, as I write, he plays. It is not perfect. He is not advanced on the piano beyond his years, but it is lovely. This song is translated, I think, "For Elise." I have no idea who Elise was, but tonight, I am certain this song is for me.

ENCOURAGEMENT: Never give up on a worthy cause. Keep trudging on.