Violins of War

Sgt. Geoffrey Allison is an Army medic who was deployed for a yearlong posting to the debacle in Iraq. His hobby is making violins. During his 13-month sojourn (how exactly does that add up to a year?) he made four violins.

I do not begin to know what it feels like to be in a war zone, nor do I know how to make a violin, but I do know how I felt hearing that one serviceman was making violins in the face of war. The two acts, war and violincraft, are, surprisingly, similar.

Both require a pattern to follow and adapt when necessary.
Both require discipline and order.
Both require care and concern for materials.
Both require patience and persistence.
Both require specialized skills.

Admittedly, the outcomes of both actions are massively different. But Sgt. Allison’s actions made me realize that there has to be some good resulting from this war in Iraq. There has to be—that’s how things work here. I intend to persist in claiming whatever Good is intended by the All Good in this conflict.

Even if I can’t see it right now, I rest easier knowing that there are four new violins in the world. They offer us the hope of a new song, a song of love in the universe.