My Most Important Drumstick

Amongst the plethora of both damaged and unused drumsticks that constitute my personal arsenal, there is one that remains though all the others be thrown out. It stays firmly ensconced among the other sticks, mallets, brushes, rods, & drum keys, despite the rather high turnover rate of the other residents of my stick bag. It is never played. It never gets used. Its purpose in the bag is symbolic and sentimental, reminding me about things more important than any music I could make with it if I chose to pull it out.

It was hand-carved from the wood of a tree by a great uncle of mine during the Depression. He wanted to become a drummer and, given the rough economic dynamics of the time, was required to make his own drumsticks in order to pursue his dream. When he had to leave to fight in the most horrific and widespread war this world has ever known, he gave the stick to his parents and told them that should he not return, he wanted it to be passed on until it reached the hands of another drummer in the family. 

My uncle was killed in the summer of 1944 during the Battle of Saipan.

Six decades later, his drumstick made its way to me and now makes its home among the other tools of my trade.

I hold onto my uncle’s stick for several reasons. First, I became a drummer and decided it was something I wanted to spend a good chunk of my life doing without knowing my uncle's story. I didn’t make my decisions in order to play into some kind of dramatic family history or to make some ancestor of mine proud. I did so because I felt that it was both part of what God had put me on the earth to do and what I would want to do regardless of any other circumstantial concern. Imagine my surprise, then, when my family presented me with this drumstick and relayed to me the story. To say it is special to me would be an understatement.

Secondly, the stick serves to remind me of the fact that there are things more important than performing music. There are things in the world worth dying for. There are things worth sacrificing yourself and your dreams for. People are more important than music. Truth and beauty and the protection of those who cannot protect themselves are weightier issues than any beat I could play or concert I might perform. My uncle’s drumstick is a constant reminder that no matter how much I love entertaining people and (hopefully) elevating their emotions & perspectives and encouraging their spirits, the people themselves are more important than the music I make for them.

Finally, the drumstick is a reminder of what’s been done for me. Of all the sacrifices I just mentioned, all of them are things that have been done for me, for you, and for just about everybody else before we even came into this world. Many people - most of whom we will never even be given the chance to meet - gave of themselves in order to provide us with the opportunities we now have before us. They sacrificed their own dreams, their own hopes, and, in some cases, their own lives so that we might embrace and make the most of ours. The least I can do, as far as I can figure it, is give this life my best shot in order to both honor the God who put me here as well as all of those who sacrificed for me before I was ever on the scene.

So, what’s your reminder? What is the thing that helps you keep a proper perspective (which, I admit, can be dreadfully difficult at times)? What is it that helps you to remember the truly important things in life?

I think it’s safe to say that it’s important for all of us to have something. Something that grounds us, that helps to center us, that reminds us of all that is truly valuable in our lives. This world is much too good at distracting us, discouraging us, and getting us to prioritize things that cannot truly satisfy or complete us. Let me encourage you today to get yourself a few reminders if you don’t already have some. They will not only serve to keep you thinking about the things that ultimately matter, but will help to empower the other, lesser  things to be more special because you’re dealing with them in an appropriate way.

Keep it real, everybody.

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