The Music That Remains
With the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the Festival Fringe now well under way, Auld Reekie has once again been filled with music, colour and tens of thousands of visitors.
Monic and I spent the last couple of days in Edinburgh – and we can definitely confirm… it’s very busy again… you can hardly move!
We didn’t so much walk through the streets as shuffle along with several thousand new friends.
On a lovely clear Friday evening, from our seats on the esplanade beneath the walls of Edinburgh Castle, we loved the unmistakable sound of bagpipes galore, massed military bands and music from around the world. There was marching, lots of dancing, colour and spectacle aplenty as the Tattoo unfolded before us.
On Saturday afternoon, the music sounded rather different and somehow the streets were even more crowded!
We’d returned to see the BYU Young Ambassadors perform their lively mixture of contemporary music, singing and dance. It really was great fun.
Two days and two very different performances.
Yet for Monic and me, another, quieter melody ran through them both.
At the Tattoo, we were joined by Mallory Grunander, her parents and other family members. Mallory served with us as a missionary in Belgium and the Netherlands.
At the Young Ambassadors show, we met another of our former missionaries, Dallin Doxford.
Their missionary name tags have long since been removed and the daily missionary schedules have ended.
Friendships
Yet our friendships remain as strong and vibrant as ever.
Over Vietnamese food with Mallory and Italian food with Dallin, we caught up, shared memories and created some new ones together. Apparently, missionary reunions are best conducted with an international menu! 
Paul beautifully described the bond that can grow through serving together: “…we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.” – 1 Thessalonians 2:8
Those words capture something of how Monic and I feel about Mallory, Dallin and all the hundreds of missionaries who shared such an important season of life with us.
Missions eventually end, people move on and the music changes – but the love, laughter and shared faith continue to echo across the distance and the years.
Some music lasts only for a performance.
Other music remains in our hearts forever.
Whose friendship still brings music to your life, long after the season you shared has passed?
