ENTERTAINING CHANGE – Words by Carol Patch, March 2, 2007

Who welcomes change with open arms?
Most resist it, choosing to cling to the familiar.
But without change, life is a static journey.
Without the seasons, too predictable.
Without the tides, monotonous.
Without the fork in the road, mundane, (a path to complacency)
Change takes us to new places – in our work, our relationships,
Our perceptions and understanding.
Change in our well-trod path brings vibrancy
And the pleasure of the unexpected to life.
Consider the seedling. No growth can come without change. No bud. No flower.
Contemplate the caterpillar. No transformation in its fuzzy form without metamorphosis.
In the same way, let your imagination take wing.
Consider the opportunity to change the way you relate to the world, teach and touch those
around you with a language both new, and ancient.
A language with the power to touch heart and soul.
Music.
Be it tribal drum or string quartet.
A lone flute or symphonic harmony.
It is the universal language.
With the power to make us feel things deeply, see things anew.
The child in the front row who can’t learn,
Disinterested? Or disheartened?
The bully who fights, fearless or terrified?
The teenager who breaks rules, begging for boundaries?
The child who pushes you away, desperately needing you?
With messages healing and hopeful, wise and witty,
This exceptional music speaks to the human experience on a deeper level than words alone
And invites you – with rhythm, rhyme, and roles – to connect, affirm, act…
To entertain change in your work,
In your world…