Letter to Family and Friends

Dear Pilgrim Families,

Recently I shared the following story from 'Stories for the Heart' (compiled by Alice Gray) with the Pilgrim School Board.

Don’t Quit (Charles R Swindoll)

Ignace Jan Paderewski, the famous composer-pianist, was scheduled to perform at a great concert hall in America. An evening to remember, dress code – black tuxedo and long evening dresses!

 

Present in the audience was a mother who had bought her fidgety nine-year-old son. She had hopes that her son would be encouraged to practise the piano if he heard such a great pianist play. He was tired of waiting and bored, and slipped away from her unnoticed, climbed the stage and sat down at the large concert grand piano, largely unnoticed by the audience, until he began to play 'Chopsitcks', timidly at first, with some mistakes. The audience was aghast and began to shout:

 

'Get that boy away from there!'

'Who’d bring a kid that young here?'

'Where’s his mother?'

'Somebody stop him!'

 

Backstage, the master overheard the shouts, and quickly put together in his mind what was happening. Hurriedly he grabbed his coat and rushed out on stage.  Without any announcement, he stooped over behind the boy, reached around both sides, and began to improvise a countermelody to harmonise and enhance 'Chopsticks'.  As the two of them played together, Paderewski kept whispering in the boy’s ear: 'Keep going, don’t quit, keep on playing, don’t stop, don’t quit'

And so it is with us. We hammer away on our project, which seems about as significant as 'Chopsticks' in a concert hall.  And about the time we are ready to give up, along comes the Master who leans over and whispers: 'Keep going, don’t quit, keep on playing, don’t stop, don’t quit' as he improvises on our behalf, providing just the right touch at just the right moment.

I know that at this time of year many staff members are feeling weary, and students are also feeling tired, and perhaps looking forward to the holidays and want to be done with school for the year! Parents too will be feeling this end of year weariness. My encouragement to all is that God knows us, He knows this weariness, and is waiting for us to rest in His arms, to encourage us to keep going, so that His masterpiece is accomplished in each of our precious children’s lives! 

We, as a Board, would like to add our encouragement to this, to say we appreciate each staff member, each child, each parent, and would wish only the best for all, for the freshness of the Holy Spirit to fill your lives, to replenish you, to help complete His masterpiece!

Blessings,

Margaret Davidson

Deputy Chair, Pilgrim School Board