The last lesson my grandfather told me before he passed away recently was "never be too good to play the melody." We were in his basement studio and he was teaching me to be a better guitarist. He had mentioned the problem with people now and days is that they feel they are too good to play the melody. I've spent a lot of time thinking about that quote since the day he passed. It is now one of my big life lessons. I apply this not only to guitar, but life in general. Never be too good for anybody. Accept and love everyone. Help when you can and who you can. This is a hard challenge for me because it means judging less and loving more, and I'll admit that sometimes I am not the best at this. I always make it one of my priorities to view myself as not being better than anyone else. I'm not saying to stop striving to be the best. What I am saying is to be humble about it. Be the best, but help others get to that point. Transform people. Don't be too good for people, that will only lead to an extremely lonely lifestyle. I challenge everyone this season to not be too good for charity. Help who you can, when you can. If you're looking for a good cause this season please look into a new local charity called "Giving to Those Who Gave." This is a charity to help local homeless veterans. They donate straight to the Freedom House, the local homeless veteran shelter in Kent. Their Winter 2013 Event this year is December 21st from 2:00-5:00pm at the Kent United Church of Christ. To find out more information you can go to their website at www.givingtothosewhogave.org or check them out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gttwg.
Thanks everyone for your time, and remember to "never be too good to play the melody!"
John Ryan
Founder of Giving to Those Who Gave
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