I was a girl scout for ten years. This time of year was really big for us scouts because it was the cookie season. I was never any kind of salesman, but those cookies sold themselves. Thin mints are still my favorite! At every girl scout function, we would recite the Pledge of Allegiance and the girl scout promise: “On my honor, I will try to serve God, my country and mankind, and to live by the girl scout law.” I spoke those words so many times that they are forever burned into my mind. There was a song as well that we girls sang, “Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver, and the other is gold.” I have been hearing that song in my head for the past few days and couldn’t help but think of it as I spoke to my best friend from high school on the phone last night. As teenagers, my friend Flip and I had our phones glued to our ears. We talked so much that my parents were forced to get call waiting. Last night was no exception; we chatted for nearly five hours and made up for some lost time since we hadn’t talked in a few years. As a teenager, I could always rely on Flip to keep me laughing and to help me gain perspective. Some things never change, and after all this time, she is golden, although we both prefer silver jewelry!

As a flutist, I am particularly drawn to silver, as discussed in my book, but I have played gold flutes. The choice of precious metal dramatically affects the sound one can produce on the instrument. For me, silver has the purest sound, and I can really make it shimmer brightly. Gold is warmer in color, and mellows out my sound too much. My over-the-top, high strung personality doesn’t do mellow very well. I can remember my teacher saying to me that he also preferred silver, but some people could “really get a ring on gold.”

My grandmother celebrated birthday number 101 today. She is very fortunate to be able to enjoy her golden years. Although she is in a nursing home, she is in relatively good health. She suffers from no diseases but is in and out of reality, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. She still knows our family, and is fiercely loyal to her college (Misericordia) and her favorite football team (Penn State). Up until a few months ago, she lived in her home and is now finding it difficult to adapt to her new environment. She is fearful of the new people that surround her each day and the deterioration of her body. She knows her time on the earth plane is limited and shakes in fear over what lies beyond. To assuage her fears, she prays the rosary. The recitation of the rosary crowns the Blessed Mother with roses. My grandma is completely devoted to the Virgin Mary and has a small shrine in her house and a garden full of roses. Whenever anything troubled me as a child, my grandma would instruct me to “pray for guidance.” That is her legacy to me – a legacy more precious than gold. God bless her!

Roses are my favorite flower. They are powerfully elegant. A yellow rose, a piece of sheet music and a silver flute appear on the cover of my book, Mirror of the Soul: A Flutist’s Reflections. I chose this cover for several reasons. Firstly, it is an elegant look, and as a flutist who studied with the most elegant flute player on the planet, it is a reminder to appreciate where I came from and who helped shape me into the musician I am today. As a tribute to my mentor, I penned the article, The Power of Elegance: An Interview with David Cramer, which was published in the July/August 1994 issue of Flute Talk magazine. Secondly, the sheet music is a reminder that all is vibration, and vibration can be transformed into beautiful music. When looking through rose-colored glasses, all is music. Thirdly, the silver flute is a magic pipe that miraculously becomes an extension of my body to help me get “into the zone.” The precious metal silver purifies my mind, body and spirit and helps me temporarily access the shining white light of heaven. Lastly, roses are symbols of love. Writing my book was a labor of love. A bouquet of roses represents romantic love as well as an expression of love to the Blessed Mother via the rosary. I own a small collection of rose jewelry that was made in Israel. It is hand crafted silver jewelry, which is part of the Or Paz line. Or Paz means beautiful light and thus perfectly mirrors the precious metal silver, (argentum) which means white light and shining. I wear these roses as a symbol of elegance, love and as a reminder that I can always pray to the Blessed Mother and to St. Therese, whose signature is the rose.

As I look back on the old friends who have recently touched my life, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the new love that has become my entire world – my relationship with my fiancé. His love has completely changed my life. He is my soul mate, and although silver is a symbol of the newness of our relationship, we are golden! Silver or gold? – too precious to choose! Perhaps I should ask a girl scout!