Snowstorm, New Job, and Mozart

This morning was not my favorite morning.

A snowstorm dumped several inches of snow into Eastern Iowa, causing treacherous road conditions.

Schools were cancelled. Many events in the community were cancelled. But it happened to be the morning that I was starting a new part-time job at a clothing store.

So I had no choice. I had to drive on the snowy highway, even though I thought that I was going to die. (I have become so accustomed to this year and last year's bizarre, mild winters that I have almost forgotten what it is like to drive in the snow!)

Thankfully I made it to work. Though the first day of a new job is always stressful for me, I was able to endure it and meet some nice people. I had to shovel my car out of a snowdrift before I could leave the parking lot of the store (hurray for the little shovel that I keep in my trunk!), but I was able to make it home.

Ahh, my warm, dry, safe, cozy house! I felt so grateful to be inside, but I still felt traumatized from my morning. I searched for the perfect something to soothe me. And then I saw it: my book of Mozart Piano Sonatas lying on the piano. I sat down to play a sonata. And then another one...

Ahh, Mozart! What a wonderful old friend! I have been listening to more pop and country music than ever since I have been married, and I have neglected Mozart and the other classical composers. I love many elements of Mozart's music. I love his sparkling, precise articulations. For example, his two-note slurs grab your attention like a nurse pricking your finger with a needle, but then they float away like a gentle sigh. I love his beautiful melodies, especially those in the slower second movements of his sonatas. And perhaps what meant the most to me today was the complete confidence that Mozart always resolves his dissonances with tonality. He might use some jarring notes or harsh chords, but he never fails to conclude every sonata on the tonic chord. Everything is always all right in the end. It reminds me of how my sovereign God always works good out of bad. And it comforts me.

If you are having a chaotic day, listen to some Mozart. Yes, even if you are not a classical music lover.