The Sound of Music

In moving to seminary, Learner and his family gave up quite a lot. While hardly complete, an initial list might go something like this:

• life in an attractive city with beauty right in the backyard

• a home in a great neighborhood

• an involved and influential role in a respected ministry

• twelve years worth of good friends

• a good church

• familiarity

• memories

Before moving, Learner had prepared to deal with the loss of most of these and, for the most part, has felt their loss more indirectly than directly as he's been so focused on his studies. But there's been one loss he's experienced more directly that he had neither anticipated nor planned for. That loss was the sound of music.

You see, due to a delay in the housing situation, Learner and his family have two more weeks of a six-week sublease to fulfill before they can move into their own apartment. By themselves, six weeks wouldn't have seemed that awful, save for the fact that the delay came on the heels of eight weeks spent at Learner's family's farm.

Thus, when they finally move in, it will have been over three months he and the family have not been in their own place and missing a majority of their things, music being one of them. Granted, Learner and his wife have hundreds of songs stored on their respective computers, but they have lacked speakers through which to share any of them together, which has always been important to the family.

If anyone has listened to music, it has been through headphones (too exclusive) or on computer speakers (too tinny). Thus, van trips are more enjoyable for the simple pleasure of being able to play songs at a decent volume so all may interact with them. Unfortunately, because they live on campus, they haven't had need to go anywhere.

As mentioned, Learner didn't think this unintentional fast from music would be that big of a big deal (or any kind of deal, period). However, being without music and a means to share it with others in the midst of transition has reinforced the thought that, when they move again, stereo and speakers get packed separately (if at all).