Clairvoyance

Nearly every student had come to the High School that day dressed in their Sunday best. What appeared to be a religious gathering held a much different meaning on this day; the air was heavy and somber. The clock ticked softly in the corner of the room as I waited for the bell. We sat in those faded orange chairs that echoed the great school spirit associated with the tradition of school colors. In the background the professor continued the lecture but all eyes pointed downward. Lost in the wilderness of our minds, we contemplated what had transpired the day before. A girl’s whimper and the sound of tears broke from the row of desks to my right. She had known her. They had been best friends.

In times when despair overpowers hope, when darkness covers the light; where is strength found?  In the moment when the soul is wrought with anguish and we are consigned to wonder within ourselves, where art Thou in this tragedy? It is in these times that the soul grabs on to something. We reach out and find a thing which brings out a source of strength.

Every High School student was affected. The girl had been shot in the head by a gun the kids thought was not loaded. Those who knew her were heartbroken. Even those who didn't know her were affected. The whole school was somber. The Symphonic Band was asked to play as tribute. Many students had come dressed in their Sunday best. I played the French Horn in the band. Each musician played their heart out. We played for her. Students surrounded the band in the large entryway. The air seemed think and tears streamed down faces. The power of music said what everyone was already feeling. And yet, it healed.

The song was Danny Boy. It had a beautiful lyrical line and a french horn solo that expressed the feelings of the day perfectly. Danny Boy is actually a ballad which was originally composed by Frederic Weatherly. Frederic is an English songwriter. The music for Danny Boy is actually taken from an old Irish tune which is known as the Londonderry Air.We sat there in the uncomfy chairs of the hall surrounded by many students all dressed in their suits and dresses, all wanting to honor the girl who had died. Some knew her, many did not, but all wanted to respect her and the manifestation of this was huge. There is something about tragedy that brings out community. It is a beautiful thing. It is sad that an ugly thing must bring out beauty in life. Is it possible for people to come together like this without a tragedy? I suppose it can. The only problem is it is much less likely. I cannot think of a time when something brought about a positive situation from a positive one. Usually it is only one that leads to another. Very similar to the pride cycle; the figurative children of our thoughts, or the rising generation as it were, leads to the demise or saving grace of our future.

For those of us in the band, the opportunity to perform was an incredible experience. It was transcendent and lead to a clairvoyance that allowed us to see into the life beyond the here and now. We played our hearts out for that girl. We didn't even know her, at least not personally. But there we sat in our Sunday best and we gave it our all. We played for her. We all played for her. Everyone in the school did it for her. Life is so short and I think that is why it scared us. But it is those moments when we are scared that we cling to something stronger and those things we cling to, if but for a moment, will bridge that gap between heaven and earth. That is what music did for us on that day. It was the bridge that brought us all together and brought us strength. It is one memory that I will never forget.

Later that day I was walking home. To get home I have to climb a very steep hill. There are very few trees on that hill; only dirt and some scrap from cars that fling them to the sides of the road as they speed along. You have to walk on the curb in order to avoid the dangerous vehicles that careen through the loopy road leading up to my house. I realized that this road is representative of life. Understand that if men are that we are to have joy, then the purpose of our very existence is to come to find strength and happiness. So why is there struggle? Well what I realized is there is happiness at every step of the journey. Sometimes it’s harder to find. Sometimes there are no trees. But in the end, there is a road that leads back home— and we are on it.