From Buena Vista Pictures: MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS
Back in Portland, Oregon circa 1965, the classically trained and talented music composer, Glenn Holland, decides to temporarily forgo his own artistically merited dreams and aspirations. All so he can spend more time with his wife and deaf son. He reluctantly decides to accept a music teaching position at John F. Kennedy High School. All the while toiling, behind many soulful scenes, attempting to create a profound orchestrated musical "Opus" that would be left behind as his own lasting legacy.
During the next 30 years as a music instructor and teacher, he unexpectedly unearths his own life's true CALLING! Not anything he could have ever pre-planned, but something even greater than the life he always longed for.
Now forced into early retirement due to artistic budget cuts, Mr. Holland enters the music auditorium he called home for 30 years, for the very last time. But what he receives on this day is overwhelming and overtly, emotionally stirring, brewing with the TRUTH behind each of our own life's Super Hero's Journey!
Gertrude Lang: (Mr. Holland's former student, now the Governor of Oregon, takes the stage full of Mr. Holland's former students) Mr. Holland had a profound influence on my life and a lot of other lives I know. But I have a feeling that he considers a part of his own life misspent. Rumor had it he was always working on this symphony of his. And this was going to make him rich, famous, probably both. But Mr. Holland isn't rich, or famous, at least not outside of our little town.
So it might be easy for him to think himself a failure. But he would be wrong, because I think he has achieved a success FAR beyond riches and fame. Look around you. There is not a life in this room that you have not touched, and each of us is a better person because of you.
We are your symphony, Mr. Holland. We are the melodies and the notes of your opus.
WE'RE THE MUSIC OF YOUR LIFE!
Mr. Holland's Orchestral piece, never performed in public, has been tastefully placed upon over a hundred of his former student's musical stands from the past 30 years; who are now willing and ready to perform for their own SUPERHERO up on center stage! Before they begin to play his own piece of orchestrated lifelong LOVE, they invite him up on stage to conduct his very own "Life's Opus" for an adoring crowd.
All of life itself is a grand, orchestrated series of musical notes! Written in the stars by a GOD who never skips a beat! Each and every day, we are creating our own Lasting Legacy through the musicality of our thoughts, words, and deeds. That's precisely why every generation's imprint on the fabric of the Universal tapestry that eventually unfolds the TRUTH of the state of our collective consciousness is so priceless! Please Re-member that you can always hide one's true nature from yourSELF, but NEVER from the One God Mind herSELF! Try as you like, it's pure fodder for those Spirits who still believe spiritual fragmentation serves anyone still dazed and confused by the egoic illusion and allure of separation!
And the more you ponder this Universal Law, the more your so called "Missteps," transform into the much needed back beats that although mostly unheralded, always become the relied upon benchmark that awakens you; actually enlightens you to the understanding that it's the most challenging of your own life's trials and tribulations that offers the greatest opportunity for "Soul Filled" growth! And as Mr. Holland discovered, we must often leave behind the life we planned for, so that we may live the grander life that has always been awaiting us!
The greatest masters of spirituality have always taught it is through life's greatest PAIN, that you have the most to GAIN! And everlasting soul filled prosperity can only be gained through the chambers of Collective Consciousness. The realm of eternity, that while never judges another's Journey, also totes a time travelled wisdom that always offers a perfectly "orchestrated" understanding in course correction toward the Holy Grail of every Hero/Heroine's Journey!
That being the completion of our individual life's CALLING, combined with the re-membrance of the eternal growth and wisdom that always accompanies the core completion of our own " Musical Opus," to be everlastingly heard through the brightest of GOD's Universal Musical Playmakers amongst the stars!
What would it look like to start living your life in a manner in which you truly believed that your every word, thought, and deed was actually a magnanimous NOTE of your own personal OPUS held in reverent care by the UNIVERSE?! In essence, the very "beats" and "notes" of your life were being created by both the conscious and unconscious choices you make during every moment in this illusion of time and space. Because, I come today as the bearer of great TRUTH! For that is EXACTLY how your own life has and will ALWAYS be played out! I'll give you a few minutes for some much needed deep thought into the understanding I just dropped on all my New Age Nerds!
First and foremost, please re-member that I stated your every word, thought, and deed was held in deep care and reverence by the YOU-niverse! Hopefully, that knowingness, in of itself, will help you all to relax from any fear based paradigms deeply planted and rooted in a state of FEAR and LACK. Any default thought programs that have thwarted prior attempts meant to break you away from the ILLUSIONS of the Egoic Mind keeping you held in a vibration of being a VICTIM of all your prior life's circumstances.
You are here for a specific reason. And you matter more than you could possibly imagine! And this Universe, in alignment with Albert Einstein's beliefs, is a place of utter compassion and forgiveness!
Can I get a big 'ole "Hell Yes" from this congregation. Because I know, although I have diligently practiced UNIFICATION in many of my life's potential choices, I have been FAR from perfect in all of my collective choices! Just sayin' and always praying'. ;0)
Luckily, I was a fortunate to have my very own "Mr. Holland" in my life. My late step father Roger Lee Poston.
Some believe that angels are ordinary souls who come into your life to help you believe in MIRACLES once again. If this sentiment bares any truth, than I met my first ANGEL when I was a young lad of just 4 years of age. My birth father had abandoned our family while we were living out in California, leaving my mom with two small children, little use of her right arm from a horrendous car accident, and absolutely no money. But as Napoleon Hill always said, “Within every adversity, every failure, and every heartache there lies within it a seed of an equal or greater opportunity.”
Opportunity comes in many forms. And often NOT wrapped in the way we would have ever imagined them to be. Such was the case with Roger Lee Poston! I first met this slice of Heaven's Many Heartthrobs when my mom moved my sister and I from California to Washington, DC shortly after my birth father left our tribe. He was a young man of 25 and was friends with my mom's sister. They were both teachers just starting out on their career life journeys. Although we were in many ways an unlikely dynamic duo, it was absolutely ‘Friends at First Sight.’ He was a good ole' country boy from the pan handle of Virginia; think “The Beverly Hillbillies” sans the ‘Beverly’ part. He had thick, curly hair and despite his very best efforts, a dialect that was laced with the Southern twang garnered from growing up in a little town called Saltville, VA; known as the ‘salt capital’ of the Confederacy during the Civil War. His face was quite pale; in fact I always teased him that he had three colors: white, red, and redder! LOL Pop was short and stocky with forearms and calves that rivaled those of Popeye.
His aesthetic contrasted greatly with mine. I was super skinny with straight, jet black hair and olive skin. Leaner than a "fritter on a fryin' pan." I was also painfully shy and introverted. (hard for anyone who knows me now to contemplate) Due to the harsh traumas from early childhood, TRUST was an emotion that felt foreign to my sensibility. I had been surrounded and raised by women until this extraordinary man appeared in my life. Suddenly, I was being introduced into the world of ‘guy stuff’ on a daily basis. From comic books and 7-11 slurpees, to movies and batting cages, putt-putt golf and Spiderman early morning cartoons. My world suddenly exploded into a cacophony of glorious geekdom!
And it wasn't just me; as he also showered my sister, mother, and the rest of the Lapham (my mom's maiden name) clan with the same sense of love and reverence. So when my mom set my sister and I down to let us know he had asked her to marry him, for the first time in my young life, my heart felt a sense of PEACE, and security. I finally felt......... SAFE!
I still remember the very first time I was able to garner the courage to call him DAD. He was getting ready for work, and I paced back and forth just outside his bedroom door. Practicing all the while, the manner in which I was going to approach him about it. I placed my ear up to the door and could hear him just about to emerge into our downstairs rec-room. My palms were sweaty and my heart was literally pounding out from my chest. Until the door opened and as he walked out of his bedroom, I tentatively stepped in front of him and looked him square in the eye.
“I have a question for you,” I said in a hushed voice. It took all the intestinal fortitude I could muster, as my bottom lip began to quiver with anticipation, before finally garnering the courage to ask “Is it OK if I call you Dad?”
He stayed silent for a few precious moments which seemed like an eternity to me. He placed his right hand on my shoulder and said “Jeff, I have been waiting for you to ask me that for several years. And there is nothing in this world that would make me happier!” He then pulled me in for one of his well known "bear hugs" and then he started to cry. Soon thereafter, tears started flowing from my own relieved being.
But it is what he said next that has been permanently imprinted into my reverence and re-membrance of him. “Jeff, just promise me one thing,” he said. “Although I will ALWAYS consider you to be my son, if the day comes when you choose to try and meet Danny (my birthfather) I will always support you. He was part of the process that brought you to me, and for that I will always hold a space of gratitude for Danny in my heart. And I will until the day I die.” Now it's one thing to utter such good intentions, but my Dad did something I consider to be one of the most powerful testaments toward unconditional LOVE I have EVER received. Despite many of the ugly acts that Danny brought about us in the years that followed, he NEVER once spoke even one word of judgement or ill-will towards him. I knew it was out of respect and still often ponder in a complete vibration of AWE whenever I think about this act of unfathomable reverence for a man who caused my family so much pain.
I contribute SO MUCH of who I AM to this man of undeniable strength and authenticity. He taught me what it means to live life as a 'Gentle Man.' Here is just a sampling of his teachings to me:
~~ Never be afraid of your emotions Jeff. One of the greatest signs of inner strength and courage is to never be afraid to cry. In fact, I think as a whole, we shed more tears at the movies to fill an olympic sized swimming pool!
~~Women are the greatest gift to this world. And should be treated as such. If I ever find out you have mistreated a young lady, I will ‘kick you through the goalposts of life.’ If you want to find out what that looks like, test me! lol Needless to say, I never did... ;0)
~~ Don't EVER let anyone confuse your kindness for weakness. They are NOT the same thing. Buyer beware!
Looking back, my Dad was the very first Superhero I ever met. Not only did he work two, sometimes three jobs to put food on the table, but HE NEVER CALLED IN SICK IN 40 YEARS. He considered his teaching occupation as "JOYOUS PLAYING!" Not working. I never ONCE heard him complain, even when I could see the toll of working 80 hour work weeks for over 30 years wearing him down to the bone. He was a true warrior who lived a life that was completely personified by hard work and being of SERVICE always and in all ways.
This may be hard to believe, but I never saw him buy ANYTHING for himself. He was much more concerned with making sure his students had anything they needed. Always quick to think of others during any trip to the mall. “Hell fire Jeff. The only thing I truly need is the love of your mother, you and Sandy,” (my sister) was his super heroic catchphrase!
Always a man of his word, he never let me down ONE time during our 40 year relationship. And he didn't even need a "Batsignal." His Spidey-sense was always set to surprise and service. and Spiderman had absolutely nothing on him. Back in 1997, when I spent almost a year in the hospital battling Crohn's disease, he came for a visit EVERY SINGLE DAY. All while working two jobs. And I mean it; Dad never skipped one day, always sneaking in a tasty treat, a comic book or one of my favorite films.
So in 2013, when he was diagnosed with a rare and devastating form of cancer, I had no problem leaving my job and along with my girlfriend at the time, moving into my parent's basement to help with the massive amount of daily care he required. Although he fought the dis-ease so valiantly, the cancer eventually spread to his brain. And he passed away in December of that same year.
I was fortunate enough to be alongside his bed while he passed away. In fact, my mom, sister, aunt Rena, and girlfriend at the time were all there holding vigil over him. The manner in which he transitioned was as close to a MIRACLE as I have ever witnessed. With only the use of one eye, he was truly able to connect to everyone there. He lovingly gazed at each of us as we said our individual goodbyes. But when he got to my side of the bed, his one eye intently glaring into mine without blinking, I felt ..... HEAVEN itself. "Heaven on Earth!" Another ethereal dimension some say is pure folly. Not so much a place, but rather a magical state of pure perfection. A glimpse into what lies behind this illusionary matrix we call reality. Where time and space no longer exist. At least as we experience it within this realm. I felt connected to everything and everyone. And an inner peace that ALL IS WELL! I suddenly escaped the earthly feeling of not being enough. But rather complete and whole just as I was in that very moment. While his soul was slowly leaving its body temple, a precious piece remained so we could say a temporary goodbye. While I leaned in close to him, thanking him for all the LOVE, support, and guidance he poured upon me, something magical happened. I received a quick glimpse of a future period of NOW. Without saying a word, he was communicating with me in a manner far more clear than using any type of vernacular. The best way I can explain it is to think of a portal opening up. It contained images of what my life was to become. And the message was crystal clear. It was time for me to start committing to my own PURPOSE and beginning the next stage of my own SuperHero's Journey. I felt a sense of peace and KNOWINGNESS in that moment of what I needed to do.
Dad took three, slow, deep breathes, and then transitioned back into the LOVE of PURE BLISS. And although I was understandably sad, he had, in those final moments, given me the greatest gift of all! KNOWINGNESS. It was time for me to use my pain and suffering to become a Wounded Healer. And for once, I wasn't afraid to take that leap. My dad showed me a glimpse of the support behind the ‘Curtain of Oz.’ Once taking the smallest sip from SOURCE energy that was available to me in my dad's final breathes, I just KNEW the complete shift I was being asked to take in my life!
I wish that my own SuperHero's Journey took a turn toward pain free redemption after those experiences. But the Universal Prose of Poetry doesn't always end with such perfect endings. In fact, I have come to understand that new beginnings often start with the pain of ending old relationships and situations that no longer serve us. But through my own travels, I have learned that letting go of anything that no longer serves us, creates and cleans out the space for the Universe to fill in that hole with All Things that are for our highest good!
So today I ask you; if you now perceive your life as a collaboration with a compassionate Universe that keeps the individual notes and "Best of Beats" towards creating your own "Optimum Opus." Eventually to be shared with the Collective Whole, how might your thoughts, words, and deeds change? Towards both yourSELF and all others. Because, in all reality, that is exactly what we are all co-creating in every moment of NOW, as Mr. Holland was so gracefully taught! A multi-layered, wisdom filled, magical "Magnus Opus." An eternal gift filled with hard fought wisdom to be shared by us all!
BE SUPER HEROIC!!
Nerdmaste,
Jeffery Louis Martinez
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