At the beginning of the summer, my college friend Jenn handed me a stack of her mother’s sheet music and gave me free license to do what I wanted with it. Her mom had been the music director at her church well past the age of retirement. Jenn wanted something special done with the music so that it could be displayed in her room in the nursing home.
It took me a long time to get this done. There were too many possibilities and it took a while to home in on the final concept. Then there was the “danger factor.” I saw the sheet music as being precious and didn’t want to cut into it until I knew exactly what I was doing with it. I didn’t want to destroy any more than necessary.
In the end, though, I’m very pleased with the result. Jenn and Todd were too, thank goodness!
Unfortunately, sharing the story of this artwork comes with a confession. On this project my two demons, time-management and procrastination got the better of me. I didn’t finish in time for Jenn’s mom to see it. Jenn reassures me that her mother would not have been able to recognize what it was, but that’s only a small comfort. I hope that she’s smiling down, knowing how much her family loves her. And I hope this artwork is a comfort to Jenn and Todd every time they glimpse at it.
For me, it’s a reminder: Do what matters most first. The little “stuff” will always get done.
If you remember the story about putting rocks in a jar…you’ll always be able to fit the pebbles in, but if you don’t put the big rocks in first, there will never be room for them.
What “big rock” do you need to make room for today?
