"We are like violins. We can be used for doorstops, or we can make music."                  
                                  ~ Barbara Sher  

I've never seen, or heard of, a violin used as a doorstop, have you? But I suppose a violin could be used in that way and other ways. Some violins are not used at all; they are simply stored away or on display. Unfortunately that happens too often with the gifts and talents we've been given.

The bottom line is:

We can each make music.
We can make art.

We can make beauty.

We can make love (I don't mean sex) 

We can transform hurts into helps and challenges into triumphs.

Consider these words from Goldie Hawn: 

"The lotus is the most beautiful flower, whose petals open one by one. But it will only grow in the mud. In order to grow and gain wisdom, first you must have the mud --- the obstacles of life and its suffering.

Be like the lotus. Be like the violin. Be an instrument for peace. Be you.

With strength and courage,

Charlene