The miracle of the present moment is that it brilliantly provides an opportunity for reflecting on the past or imagining the future. Timing is everything. The concept of time has fascinated me for many years. For a musician, time and timing are essential factors in performing in an ensemble, but for as much as one focuses on rhythm, meter and the underlying pulse, time is suspended when the performers are so perfectly synchronized with the music that nothing else in the world exists. Our time suddenly merges with God’s time. We are “in the zone” – a zone that no one else is privy to – or so I thought until a friend of mine informed me that my magical moments were palpable to the members of the audience. I suppose one’s vibration is magnetic and serves to elevate others.

Chapter one of Mirror of the Soul discusses my thoughts on past, present and future occurring simultaneously and how this concept is reflected in music and art. As a high school student, I loved physics and math, especially trigonometry and calculus. As an adult, I am a voluminous reader and huge fan of the works of Wayne Dyer and Deepak Chopra. Dr. Chopra, especially, simplifies quantum mechanics so anyone can understand and contemplate the implications of his research. Scientists can affect the outcome of an experiment merely by holding the proper thoughts. Thoughts literally create reality, or in the words of Richard Wagner, “Imagination creates reality.” Neville Goddard believed this as well, and his books are very enlightening. Focus your thought, feel as if it has already happened and know that the manifestation occurs because the mind knows no difference between memories, reality or imagination! Be present!

It is very difficult to remain present for this flutist. Recently, I have been stuck in my memories of the past – the house I grew up in on North Main Street in Wilkes-Barre, my old high school, the parties we had with all our neighbors, and the music I have made onstage and off! That beautiful neighborhood exists no longer, my high school is in the process of being torn down and many music opportunities no longer exist. Change is inevitable, and it is the only thing we can really count on to shake things up a bit. We take the good with the bad and know that without those difficult times, we could not know true joy in our lives. Six months ago, my father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He is in the early stages of this disease and is only experiencing slight tremors and some balance issues. He discovered a gym, which teaches boxing to Parkinson’s patients, and they oftentimes become asymptomatic with continued workouts. He bought a pair of boxing gloves and completes three ninety-minute sessions per week at this gym. My dad was featured on a video that aired on the local news entitled, “Punching Out Parkinson’s.” In the spirit of Rocky Balboa, he is fighting back. He’s got the eye of the tiger! I cheer him on in this fight but am having a difficult time focusing on the progress he’s making in the present when the future is so uncertain. My dad has been very high profile his entire life and has appeared on the news and in the local newspapers regularly for his leadership in the community. He coached my brother’s little league team, was an assistant cub-scout leader and president of our high school Band Parents’ Association. His office was plastered with awards that took me over three hours to pack away when he retired – community service awards from the United Way, Jewish Family Services, Family Services of Northeast PA, the Child Development Council, MHMR Providers’ Association, Chapel of the Four Chaplains, King’s College and the Governor Robert Casey (PA) Lifetime of Service Award. Every honor awarded resulted in “Joseph DeVizia, Jr. Day” in the city of Wilkes-Barre and eventual keys to the city. My thoughts returned to the past as I watched the Punching Out Parkinson’s video, but I am reminding myself to focus on the present – one day at a time, one moment at a time. The present creates miracles as it is where the past and future meet.

One week from tomorrow, my grandma will turn 101. She has the constitution of an ox, and I am convinced it was by sheer will she became a centenarian. She lived in the house she shared with my grandpa up until two months ago. She is now in a nursing home where she is in and out of reality. She knows my family but is having visions of dead people. I truly believe she is seeing these people, but it is hard hearing about this because I know they are waiting for her. It is only a matter of time before she crosses over to the Other Side. Being present relieves my anxiety. I have visited her a few times. She always asks about my fiancé (a man she has only met twice), and this warms my heart because our wedding is important to her. On my last visit, I showed her pictures of me wearing my wedding gown just in case she doesn’t make it to my wedding in six months. When she saw the pictures, she asked my mom to take her shopping for a dress as well. She is strong-willed! We know not the hour of our passing. A very good high school friend of mine died last week. He was only 47, but his journey is over. He surrendered to the peace of heaven, while my grandma is going out kicking and screaming. Dr. Wayne Dyer believed that the soul chooses to come to the earth plane knowing what every detail of its life will be. We pick all the circumstances of our lives in order to learn lessons. If this is true, then we cannot question another’s path because we are not privy to the information that only the Creator and the soul know, and we most definitely cannot control the soul’s life experience – yet another reason to be present and relax into the moment.

I believe it is easier to be present when experiencing a change of scenery. Recently, I cruised the Bahamas with my fiancé. While there, we went swimming with the dolphins – a purely magical experience. The dolphins danced with us, and we got some kisses from these amazing animals. We made some beautiful memories. For my fiancé, this experience was a childhood dream come true. How privileged am I to have been part of the experience of sharing his dream! My heart overflows with gratitude. When we are grateful in the present, God gives us more reasons to be grateful in the future. Focusing on the present alleviates fear and anxiety. Fear, in the words of Wayne Dyer, is an acronym for False Evidence Appearing Real. The soul knows no fear because it contains a spark of the divine. That tiny spark illuminates the darkness. There is nowhere the soul goes where God is not. God and the soul overlap in much the same way that chronological time and eternity overlap. That meeting point is the present. Be present, and expect a miracle!