...The years prior to this starting in 2001 were years marked with trial and disappointment at every turn, so much darkness, financial stress, and the near loss of my wife made this injury the icing on the cake, I sunk like a led balloon into deep dark depression, my motivation was sapped and as far as I was concerned I was done, I lost hope that I would or could become anything useful…

One special item that had been my constant companion over the years was a beautiful bamboo flute, perfectly tuned in the key of F major, and yes, bamboo can be tuned perfectly. The flute was a dark rich maroon with black binding crafted from a gorgeous piece of timber bamboo, it felt very much like a traditional Indian Bansurai. This paticular flute has a a picture engraved on it; the sun rising over a mountain and a dove with an olive branch in its mouth, I would later learn how symbolic this was.

Fast forward to a beautiful summer afternoon August 14, 2004, my wife had left with my daughter to run some errands and decided to stay home and try to shake the darkness and pain I was experiencing with prayer. I have a great devotion to some of the saints, one of them is St. Maximilian Kolbe, a beautiful Priest of Jewish descent who offered his life in Auschwitz as a martyr so that 10 men could be spared from the starvation chamber, this day August 14th was the feast day of St. Maximilian Kolbe so I thought it fitting to ask for his intercession and help.

I have various ways of praying, sometimes in deep silence, sometimes in spiritual language, and sometimes with music, this day I pulled out my bamboo flute and began to converse with St. Max inwardly, pleading for help, pleading for direction and focus, pleading that the depression and darkness would lift. Now, some visions come like dimly lit lights, soft and non intrusive, others fall like warm monsoons of heavenly water drenching the soul in glorious light and knowledge, what happened next was a monsoon of dynamic proportions.

It was as if the heavens opened up and the next phase of my life was laid before and in a nano second I saw this glorious and exciting opportunity laid before me. I saw myself crafting exquisite flutes, I heard their sound in my being, gorgeous music, healing music. I saw my hands crafting them from bamboo, exotic bamboo, I saw the colors of the various flutes I was making and I saw them traveling around the world and in the background a voice was reading the prayer of St, Francis:

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Lord, make me a channel of thy peace;
that where there is hatred, I may bring love;
that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness;
that where there is discord, I may bring harmony;
that where there is error, I may bring truth;
that where there is doubt, I may bring faith;
that where there is despair, I may bring hope;
that where there are shadows, I may bring light;

I knew internally that I would be successful because God would make me successful and he'd make my hands swift, He'd grant me wisdom to learn quickly, my playing at that time was mediocre at best, but the music I heard was lovely. And then I heard the name, Kolbe Flutes, and as suddenly as it came it was finished, I immediately set out to learn the art of creating concert tuned bamboo flutes, I had a clear vision and I knew it would be a successful venture. What ignited my passions was the fact that I could create instruments that would both support my family and heal others around the world.

(To be continued)