Ben asked me to teach him a new song. He picked out the song "Do What is Right" out of the church Hymnal. I started measure by measure showing him the top notes. Ben was actually doing pretty well with a song he wasn't familiar with and was above his level. But I was impressed with his persistence. He worked and struggled but kept working and kept struggling. He would tell me when to stop as he reviewed a few notes and restarted a thousand times. After 15-20 minutes of starting at the top and going half way through the song he showed some signs of frustration and stopped for a second. I wondered if he had reach his limit. I wanted to show him the rest of the song so he wouldn't feel intimidated if he ended up quoting and thought about coming back and picking it back up later as it was pretty easy after that. So I asked him if he wanted to move on to the next part or if he wanted to just hear what came next. It might be a little break from making the same mistakes over and over.
His response kind of surprised me, "No mom, not yet, I don't want to move on until I can get it perfect. A normal man will do a thing until he gets right. But a great man will do it until he can not get it wrong. "
What a great quote. He told me it came from the Rangers Apprentice book he read a few times. I guess it is like the Rangers motto.
I love this kid and love the many moments he surprises me with wisdom and inspiration.
He showed true grit and determination and and learned the song after another 20 minutes. What a blessing it is and will be in his life to know these inspired songs and to have them at his finger tips and in his heart when he needs them. He has learned the words and tune to "Where can I Turn for Peace," and "In Humility." I am so grateful for good music and Good Kids!
