Music is such an important part of my life that I have often felt sad and incomplete when I am unable to practice or at least hear music for a few days. I became aware of this while I was having class instruction in Christian Science. The class was given so far away from my home that it was not possible to bring my cello with me. Despite the wonderful things we were learning together of God and His spiritual creation, and the assignments for study each night, my thoughts began to wander; I felt terribly alone.
By the third day of class I could not stand it any longer, so during the break I decided to tell my teacher's husband that I desperately wanted to practice, half hoping that he might know someone with a cello. He asked me why I liked music so much, and I told him that I considered it the highest form of art, the ultimate communication of beauty and feeling without the limitation of words. He mentioned that instantaneous communication based on the one Mind, God, independent of all material media, might be even more wonderful.
That evening as I considered this concept, I felt a deep concern. Of course I wanted to grow spiritually so that I could heal, but I wanted to stop before I outgrew my cello! I had to learn to relax and not fear spiritual progress. Nothing would leave my life as long as I had a genuine need for it.
