The gift…
It feels like eons since I did my last blog at the beginning of this month; I had intended to write every week.
But it has been an incredibly busy month and it has certainly felt like a period that has offered immense spiritual and personal growth.
I’ve certainly been challenged a great deal by insecurities during this period, which has prompted a massive and continuous learning curve. However, I want to save this subject for another blog as I feel that the overall energy that is around us at the moment is one that is generally more challenging for most. So, I want to focus on something that happened to me within that month, which has acted as a reminder to not only seize the moment but also to remember the goodness and kind heartedness of people.
When I first trained to be a sound therapist, I needed to acquire a bow to use on my crystal bowls, for the purpose of bowing. I could have simply ordered a bow online, however, I wanted to not only ensure it’s suitability for purpose, but I also wanted to connect with it, for it to feel energetically right for me on a personal level. I feel that in all energy work that the tools I use are just as important as my own intention; and I also believe that for anyone working on a soulful and purposeful level, they will always find what is needed to progress their work in Divine timing.
One day, I was exploring a large secondhand warehouse that is located in the mountains, virtually in the middle of nowhere, when I discovered a cello. As a child, I’d always wanted to learn to play the cello, but my parents had little interest or funds to encourage me to pursue musical lessons. The cello was not an instrument that could be learnt at school via the normal educational curriculum; learning any stringed instrument required private lessons, which of course, for anyone with a similar upbringing to my own, I thought that this was something that only the privileged children got to do.
Curiously I asked how much the cello cost and it was for sale for little more than 100 euros. I couldn't beleive it'; the cello was virtually new and came with a case and the required bow. Naturally, I couldn’t resist buying the entire cello with the wish that perhaps one day, I would get to learn to play it.
I then find myself being guided to live in the most wonderful location, where I find out that a vast majority of the people who live in my small village are members of an orchestra. Believing that nothing happens by chance, I enquired as to whether anyone knew anyone who could teach me to play the cello. Within 24-hours, I met Charlie, who doesn’t live in my village, but is well known locally, and I commenced to learn to play. From Charlie, I learnt that my cello was not a full size, but was suitable for learning to play. I would, if I continued to learn, need to consider replacing the cello within the next year. Within three lessons we played a very simple duo and I couldn’t stop smiling; even the simplest notes have this wonderous soothing melodic tone.
However, not wishing to devalue his worth as a teacher, I really couldn't afford the lessons as I was busy saving for a car and also trying to save money to cover the early months of next year, when work is very scarce. I allowed fear of scarcity to make the decision to put my lessons on hold until my life was more stabilised. I still beleived that I didn’t have the privilege of learning to play this most amazing and beautiful instrument.
Summer arrived with the excessively hot months and therefore, this is a time in Spain when everyone, the locals, retreat indoors. It feels too hot to do anything and in the main, most things go on hold or people leave to enjoy a cooler climate. I was busy in my part-time day job and so, the cello began to gather dust. The heat is exhausting and summer is wonderful, but is also challenging when working and hence, it is easy to just work, eat and sleep. Then as autumn approaches along with another year end, it is easy to think of all the things I didn’t manage to achieve this year, such as weight loss, exercise regime, learning Spanish and the cello!
However, as I sit and silently observe how the rest of my life unfolds, I have no doubt that everything is Divine timing. I see how everything that has kept me awake at night, caused me endless anxiety and stress, is now slowly beginning to evolve; I can sense how certain things needed to happen before the next part could slot beautifully into place. Such synchronised timing that is done to perfection.
Hence, in the past two weeks, I kept accidentally meeting people away from my village, who were either members of the orchestra, were fellow cellists (I can hardly call myself that) or knew Charlie. Naturally, we spoke about the cello and my lessons and how it would be wonderful if I joined the orchestra; this happened on three different occasions. In the back of my mind, I wondered to myself whether my Holy Father was hinting that it was time to return to learning.
Within days, I went to meet with a relatively new friend; she’d volunteered to assist me in filming my final Qigong exam at her beautiful cortijo. I’d been invited to do a recce of the garden and to discuss with her who could be invited to make up the numbers required to define the lesson as teaching a class. We chatted for a couple of hours and I got to meet her wonderful husband and family too. While I was stood in the kitchen drinking coffee, I noticed a beautiful piece of artwork of a cello and commented on it. I told my friend about my love of the cello and how I’d had to put my lessons on hold until I was more financially stable.
Just as I was leaving, her husband told me that he had a gift for me. The gift was his daughter’s cello. She had died at a too young an age. She was at university studying music and played the cello. They had not wished to sell her instrument but it had been their wish for it to go to a soul that would love and appreciate the instrument.
Words cannot express the deep level of gratitude and honour it is to be gifted a cello that has such a sentimental value to this wonderful kind hearted couple. Naturally, I felt that the gift was too generous to not consider gifting or donating something in return when I can, to a cause that is close to their hearts.
To me, the cello is a gift not just because it is a beautiful instrument, but it is the lesson within the gift that makes it so special. It is the knowing that it is time to seize the day. There are no excuses to not learn, for there are numerous ways to learn online without the need of money. It is time to stop putting things off until tomorrow because for this young woman, I can only feel blessed to have reached my age and to be starting out on a journey to learn the cello in her memory.
I hope to soon, in Divine timing and as the rest of my life evolves, to recommence my lessons with Charlie and to join the orchestra. I imagine the sense of pride and achievement to be the little girl, who became the woman, who plays the cello in the stringed section of my local orchestra, which in the past week has done 3 concerts in various locations in Spain.
What an honour to be trusted with such a gift.
With such gratitude to my friend and her husband, thank you.
In loving memory of C.
With love & gratitude always,
Sally Jayne
xxx