Hindsight Is 20/20

(A Little Reflection this Holy Week)

Everyday, I see my violin in its case waiting to be picked up and played. But there are always some other pressing things to do.

At this time of my life, I have decided to resume playing my violin, that I may enjoy making my own music to soothe my soul.

I am past the time of taking more formal lessons from a violin teacher, so I just go back to my old violin books for the exercises and then play again my old pieces and learn new ones. I am also using YouTube to listen to professional violinists play and to watch tutorials that I find helpful. I believe that in time, I will be able to achieve my goal, though to a lesser extent.

I had stopped playing the violin after high school, but looking back, I often regret that I should have put in the time, effort and money to learn more and develop my violin skill that would have put me on a higher skill level today.

Looking back, I can see clearly. It's true: "Hindsight is 20/20."

My wife plays the piano and reached a high level of skill when she took piano lessons in school, and holding recitals, for many years. This enabled her to become a piano teacher.

There was an opportunity for her to take up piano as her major field in college but she took some other course with her friends. She was given further scholarship in piano but she did not avail herself of it. Now she regrets it.

My daughters also had a similar opportunity to learn piano when they were young since their mother could have taught them. But laziness to practice got the better of them and they stopped taking lessons. Now they are regretting it. So now they are giving the same opportunity to their own children and are being strict about practicing their lessons.

Hindsight is 20/20.

There are many areas or concerns or goals in life that are more important than learning to play a musical instrument. One is the development of virtue or the achievement of goodness or holiness of life.

However, in many cases, the attractions of this world make what truly matters in life less of a priority. There are more exciting and pleasurable things to do. There are more worldly goals to pursue: wealth, power, esteem, comfort and thrills. But if one concentrates on these things, he forgets that all these good things can only be enjoyed within a limited period of time and after that they all go away, and one is back to having no need for them at all. At that time one confronts eternity.

Holy Week presents to us many opportunities to reflect on what matters most -- our relationship with God Who came in our human flesh and form, to let us know how much He loves us and that He wants us to be with Him in His heavenly home. Through the various liturgical celebrations of these three solemn holy days of God manifesting His great love for us, we recall His passion, suffering, and death on the cross, and His resurrection in glory at Easter, which is open to us.

May we take all these opportunities . . . to be right with God.

God invites. Yes, God invites, but He does not force us. He gives us time.

The time to respond is now. Before it is too late.

There is no use for regret later on.

Hindsight is 20-20! #