A Lesson Learned

How many people, no matter their career, could honestly say, “In a long working life, there are too many heartwarming experiences to list one.”?  So frequently we complain about all the events and happenings in our lives and work that are wrong, yet if we flip that attitude towards looking at what wonderful things have happened to us, we will find many that bring a smile to our face.

In a recent acquisition from an e-bay auction, I purchased a note card, maybe a partial letter that Gena Branscombe wrote.  From the dates she cites, I gather this was written post 1960 when she would have been in her 80’s.

Reflecting on highlights of her musical career she points out conducting the New York City performances with her own Branscombe Chorale.  Then Miss Branscombe goes on to mention the chorus of 1000 voices singing under her direction in Atlantic City in 1941, a Delta Omicron performance of her “Coventry’s Choir” in 1959 and the Royal Canadian National Band playing her Navy song, “Arms that Have Sheltered Us.”  These professional events brought great joy to her and they are only four events that occurred in a career that spanned nearly 80 years. 

We all could take home a lesson from Miss Branscombe’s writing of this note.  Each day step back and look at your life, whether professional or personal, then find a highlight that warms your heart and brings a smile to your day.  Thanks for the life lesson, Miss Branscombe.