TW

garym said:

This made me think of him...

This is a true and touching story of love and perseverance. Well worth the read.

At the prodding of my friends I am writing this story. My name is Mildred Honor and I am a former elementary school music teacher from Des Moines, Iowa .

I have always supplemented my income by teaching piano lessons - something I have done for over 30 years.

During those years I found that children have many levels of musical ability, and even though I have never had the pleasure of having a prodigy, I have taught some very talented students.

However, I have also had my share of what I call 'musically challenged' pupils - one such pupil being Robby..

Robby was 11 years old when his mother (a single mom) dropped him off for his first piano lesson. I prefer that students (especially boys) begin at an earlier age, which I explained to Robby. But Robby said that it had always been his mother's dream to hear him play the piano, so I took him as a student.

Well, Robby began his piano lessons and from the beginning I thought it was a hopeless endeavor. As much as Robby tried, he lacked the sense of tone and basic rhythm needed to excel. But he dutifully reviewed his scales and some elementary piano pieces that I require all my students
to learn. Over the months he tried and tried while I listened and cringed and tried to encourage him.

At the end of each weekly lesson he
would always say 'My mom's going to hear me play someday'. But to me, it seemed hopeless, he just did not have any inborn ability.

I only knew his mother from a distance as she dropped Robby off or waited in her aged car to pick him up. She always waved and smiled, but never dropped in.

Then one day Robby stopped coming for his
lessons. I thought about calling him, but assumed that because of his lack of ability he had decided to pursue something else. I was also glad that he had stopped coming - he was a bad advertisement for my teaching!

Several weeks later I mailed a flyer recital to the students' homes. To my surprise, Robby (who had received a flyer) asked me if he could be in the recital. I told him that the recital was for current pupils and that because he had dropped out, he really did not qualify.

He told me that his mother had been sick and unable to take him to his piano lessons,
but that he had been practicing. 'Please Miss Honor, I've just got to play' he insisted. I don't know what led me to allow him to play in the recital - perhaps it was his insistence or maybe something inside of me saying that it would be all right.

The night of the recital came and the high school gymnasium was packed with parents, relatives and friends. I put Robby last in the program, just before I was to come up and thank all the students and play a finishing piece. I thought that any damage he might do would come at the end of the program and I could always salvage his poor performance through my 'curtain closer'.

Well, the recital went off without a hitch, the students had been practicing and it showed. Then Robby came up on the stage. His clothes were wrinkled and his hair looked as though he had run an egg beater through it. 'Why wasn't he dressed up like the other students?' I thought. 'Why didn't his mother at least make him comb his hair for this
special night?'

Robby pulled out the piano bench, and I was surprised when he announced that he had chosen to play Mozart's Concerto No. 21 in C Major. I was not prepared for what I heard next. His fingers were light on the keys, they even danced nimbly on the ivories. He went from pianissimo to fortissimo, from allegro to virtuoso; his suspended chords that Mozart demands were magnificent!

Never had I heard Mozart played so well by anyone his age.

After six and a half minutes he ended in a grand crescendo, and everyone was on their feet in wild applause! Overcome and in tears, I ran up onstage and put my arms around Robby in joy. 'I have never heard you play like that Robby, how did you do it?

Through the microphone Robby explained: 'Well, Miss Honor .... remember I told you that my mom was sick? Well, she actually had cancer and passed away this morning. And well ...... she was born deaf, so tonight was the first time she had ever heard me play, and I wanted to make it special.'

There wasn't a dry eye in the house that evening. As the people from Social Services led Robby from the stage to be placed in to foster care, I noticed that even their eyes were red and puffy. I thought to myself then how much richer my life had been for taking Robby as my pupil.

No, I have never had a prodigy, but that night I became a prodigy ....... of Robby. He was the teacher and I was the pupil, for he had taught me the meaning of perseverance and love and believing in yourself, and may be even taking a chance on someone and you didn't know why.

Robby was killed years later in the senseless bombing of the Alfred P. Murray Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April, 1995.

So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice.

Do we act with compassion or do we pass up that opportunity and leave the world a bit colder in the process? (I know how T would have answered)

May God Bless you today, tomorrow and always.

If God didn't have a purpose for us, we
wouldn't be here!

Live simply.

Love generously.

Care deeply.

Speak kindly.

 

 

 

I joined this forum late...so I did not have the pleasure of getting to know TW...but I can tell from the outpouring of beautiful sentiments about Trevor, that he was a great man to have touched so many lives.

Today my husband and I lost a very close friend of ours due to cancer. He was our best man at our wedding last year. We watched him decline from a strong, handsome, vibrant man to a very sick man who had shriveled to half his weight. He leaves behind 2 beautiful teenaged daughters who are now orphaned.

Cancer is as terrible as terrible can get.

I am glad I have found this group of people on this CSN forum who don't dwell on the negative but thrive on the positive. I don't know you well, but I have already learned that you all are made of the same stuff that dear Trevor was made of.

Thank you all for letting me lean on you. I know that Trevor would be very proud of you.

Jojo

Bellweather said:

rip tw

I joined the group as TW was posting less.  The pictures really put it in perspective and made me feel as though I knew him, a bond we all have.  Prayers fot TW and his family as well as the entire CSN family.

 

Lost for words...TW, thank you so much for everything you've contributed to the CSN network. your presense has been absolutley invaluable to us all. may you rest in peace.

twinthings said:

So sorry for your loss

Jojo, was sorry to hear of the loss of your dear friend.  These things are never easy, especially with minor children.  I'll remember you all in my prayers.

hugs to you,

Sindy

Thank you, Sindy. We are still reeling from it. Even though we knew it was coming...it is such a terrible loss.

Jojo

Phoenix Rising said:

Coming to grips with my sadness

Even though I never met TW, never heard his voice on the phone, and never saw any of the photographs I just saw above, I still knew him.  If I know myself, I know him. Yes, he reached out to me immediately upon my first post, thanked me for my encouragement, and encouraged me on the days I was down, but I didn't know him, and yet, I know him.  I can only hope to be as much of a gem to others here. 

I knew him like we all knew him, because in a sense, we ARE him. Day by day, we come to this page comparing our condition to others' conditions, comparing our meds, comparing our side effects, and comparing surgical wounds and various other mental and physical battle scars. We look for hope in one another, because if you are like me and there is hope for you, there is hope for me.

And then we lose one of us, and we feel like we just lost ourselves.  But I never met him, and never heard his voice.  Yet, the silence is deafening.

I had been looking for a post from Tex for weeks. I had feared he was gone. I will miss all his research and post. He kept all of us up to date and straight on our information. I feel we all have one more angel in Heaven watching over us! My prayers go out to his family and the people who had the pleasure to know him in person. Rest in peace Tex!

Alexandra said:

It is very sad

I just called his place of employment and they told me that several weeks ago Trevor James Powell passed away. I asked them to give the family the condolences from all CSN members who loved and respected him.

Rest in peace dear Texas Wedge.

If anyone could surive this disease by will-power, wit, intelligence, and compassion alone, it would have been TW. I haven't been on here much these past few weeks- busy with my life and found myself spending a lot of time here that wasn't necessarily helping my state of mind. I had a feeling he wasn't doing well from posts I read a few weeks back, but actually expected to see him here when I logged in today.

I'm going to really miss seeing his posts here. I wish his family at home well, and his family here too.

We were blessed by his presence. I'm very grateful to have "met" him through this board.

Todd