End On A High Note

In one of his novels, E.M. Forster gives us an unusual interpretation of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. He describes, in rather frightening terms, how the music gives one the eerie feeling that there are shadowy, sinister goblins roaming all over the earth. And then, in a burst of beautiful music, one hears them swept away – – and the earth seems bright and clean again. But, suddenly, it happens again: the goblins are back, and the feeling is that this time they are really going to exercise their evil power and take over the world. Again, in a wave of beautiful music, they are swept away. Then the symphony ends joyously, on a high note, as the goblins completely disappear.

We all experience those spiritual and emotional ups and downs, highs and lows, in our individual symphony of life. The shadowy goblin of death comes roaming around, and we’re feeling anxious and afraid. Then something wonderful breaks through to sweep that goblin away, and our…