Mentors and Friends

On Friday, February 18th, I lost one of my mentors and a dear friend - Julius Alexander "Sandy" Beam. My relationship with Beam goes back 40 years, when I walked into his classroom at Franklin Elementary School on my first day of 1st Grade. In many ways that day was one of the most important days of my life, because on that day I began a life long love affair with music. All because of Sandy Beam.

For the next 12 years, of my schooling, Beam opened up a new world of music to me, and my life has been all the richer for it. In my time with him I learned to not only recognize by site, but sound, ALL the pieces of an orchestra, I fell in love with Tchaikovsky, was cast in my first musical, met Sweeney Todd, sang all over the southeast, got sent to the office my ONLY time for eating M&M's in his class, learned that music comes in all shapes, forms and styles, and learned to see the poetry in music - even when there were no words.

For the past 10 years I have worked with Beam, here at FPC Mt. Airy. Each Sunday I have had the privilege of watching Beam praise and glorify God through music. And if it is possible, my love of music has grown even deeper. And for the last three years he has been my son's voice teacher, and has helped him "find his voice".

So what do you do when your friend and mentor dies? You break down. Plain and simple. And you feel a hole in your being and you wonder how it will ever be filled. You mourn and you grieve and you cry. Then what? You pick yourself up and start all over again, and how do you do that, with the help and love of your friends.

When I received the news about Beam, I was AT a funeral for the mom of my best friend. I tried to hold it together, because after all I was there for him. Then my friend put his arms around me and I let go of my grief and we cried together...John for his loss, me for Beam, and both of us for each other. In the days since, so many things have been reinforced for me. There is always music in the background of my life, but the last few days it has moved to the foreground, and I am more aware of the beauty and poetry that surrounds me.

I am also keenly aware of the role my friends play in my life. They are constantly here to love, support, challenge, and forgive me, but I have to be willing to open myself up to them. The same way I opened myself up to Beam and all the new music 40 years ago...I have to open myself up to my friends and let them be there for me, just like I am there for them.

Mentors and friends build us up in different ways and prepare us for the big wide world around us, and I thank God for both of them.

Rest in peace my dear friend.