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Vienna Prelude

(Zion Covenant #1)

Bodie Thoene (Goodreads Author),

Brock Thoene

4.32 · Rating details · 8,753 ratings · 589 reviews

Predating the events of The Zion Chronicles Series, Vienna Prelude opens in pre-World War II Austria. Elisa Lindheim, a violinist with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, is of Jewish heritage but has adopted an Aryan stage name. Thus she is able to travel and play in Germany even though a 1935 law forbade Jewish musicians to do so. Her dear friend Leah, a cellist already intro ...more

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Paperback, 461 pages

Published April 1st 2005 by Tyndale House Publishers (first published May 1st 1989)

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· 8,753 ratings · 589 reviews

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Oct 31, 2014 Natalie Vellacott rated it really liked it

Shelves: christian-fiction

I've just started into this series for the second time and found it just as readable as the first time around 5 years ago.

The story is spread across Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria and Poland during the reign of Nazi terror. I studied the in-depth history of the two world wars at school so found the book was well researched and remarkably accurate historically. The main characters are a Jewish family who become involved in smuggling documents and moving Jewish people out of the kill zone.

I wou ...more

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Jan 10, 2009 Amy rated it really liked it

I am not going to write about all nine books in the Zion Covenant series (which I have read), but I enjoyed them immensely and learned a ton. They are historical fiction novels written by Christian authors. I learned an enormous amount about why Hitler managed to do what he did and got a much better feel for life during that time without being totally depressed by the raw language that some authors use.

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Jul 19, 2011 Calle rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, christianity, historical-fiction

"Vienna Prelude", set in Austria and Germany during 1936-1938, is marketed as a Christian novel and, since I'm not a Christian, I didn't know what I'd think about it but decided to give it a chance, because of the many glowing reviews. And yes, the novel clearly is Christian and contains discussions about God and faith, as well as good and evil, and even heaven and hell, but for the most part it doesn't come off as preachy and as a reader you can choose to agree with the religious aspects of it, ...more

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Aug 13, 2011 Glory rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: holocaust, favorites, christian-fiction, own, ww2-fiction

I stepped out of our car at the rest stop on the long drive from Sacramento to LA. The music playing in front of the MacDonald’s was so light, so happy, focused on love and feelings. But suddenly it all seemed so frivolous. People milled in and out of the glass doors, wandered to and from their hot, sticky vehicles. They all seemed to blissfully unaware. Didn’t they understand the deeper things in life? Was it just all about themselves?

You see, I’d just read a stirring chapter in Vienna Prelude. I stepped out of our car at the rest stop on the long drive from Sacramento to LA. The music playing in front of the MacDonald’s was so light, so happy, focused on love and feelings. But suddenly it all seemed so frivolous. People milled in and out of the glass doors, wandered to and from their hot, sticky vehicles. They all seemed to blissfully unaware. Didn’t they understand the deeper things in life? Was it just all about themselves?

You see, I’d just read a stirring chapter in Vienna Prelude. And to me at that moment, I was walking among the everyday folk in America and Great Britain, among the kind of people who figured that anything that was not New York or London wasn’t worth a thought about. I felt like John Murphy, from the story, who’d despaired at the isolationist attitude running through the Allies. They didn’t know a Holocaust was coming, and did they care? Only the few, exiled Churchill and beaten Eden, saw what we know now.

But it was this book which gave me this perspective. It was this piece of fiction that spoke fact like I’ve never felt it before. There are many times in this book where I’ve cried, where I’ve been enlightened, where I have joyed or sorrowed in events so real and poignant. It is not a book of mere entertainment. It is a book to make you grow and understand. What it teaches ranges from the political to the spiritual. From this book, I’ve learned and understood the political feelings before the war. I’ve learned how people could crowd the streets to cheer Hitler. I’ve learned how one could hope in a place like Dachau, I’ve learned how the danger of isolationism can lead to another Holocaust. I’ve learned how small a person could feel when he is living in times like the late 1930s, when he knows what is coming, but can do nothing to stop its evil advance. And I’ve placed a greater meaning to the Christian idea of “hoping in the Lord.” Hope is such a little thing to people like us who are financially and politically secure, but to those people, hope was something tangible. My perspective has been shifted so I can see and appreciate the deeper things by seeing myself in their shoes and asking, how would they see this?

In critique, the style of the writing is perfect, vocabulary changes from character to character, and one reads it as though it were a movie. The narrative was a little heavy, at first, as Thoene gave us backstory and background. Around 70-80 pages into the story, things begin to really get moving, and from there, it doesn’t stop much. Amazingly, there is no long lull in the middle that has come to every other story I’ve read. Thoene does a marvelous job of pacing, mixing humor, irony, and tragedy in a rich, complex blend of perfect poignancy.

Vienna Prelude has left me with images and scenes that I’d want to remember all of my life. So many are powerful, so many have such meaning and purpose. I’ve truly learned so much, experienced so much, felt and understood so much that I could never have gained from mere history books alone. Richness and depth are my criteria for beauty, and Vienna Prelude is beautiful indeed.

“Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan” (JS Bach)
What God has done is rightly done. ...more

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Jul 25, 2011 Julianne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Here is another holocaust story, but from the viewpoint of pre-World War II. We already knew that Hitler was wicked and evil and conniving. This book shows us just exactly how wicked and how evil and how very conniving he was. It makes you want to shake the English and the Americans and say, "Pay attention!" They could have stopped him, they could have prevented all his take-overs, they could have shed light on his hatred. But they didn't. And thus, we have the sad and tragic happenings of the l ...more

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Mar 28, 2013 laurenpie rated it did not like it

Shelves: romance-past, world-war-ii

Methodical, dry writing style; a stilted third-person narrative

Had to force my way through this book. I usually enjoy historical novels, but not this one. When, oh when, will I ever run across a "Christian" novel worth reading? Oops! Nevermind! Please don't start recommending any to me! I'm going to give Gilbert Morris a try, but otherwise I'm giving up on the genre!

I'm tempted to say the author should have stuck to newspaper or periodical reporting, or perhaps non-fiction books. But honestly, I ...more

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Jun 14, 2014 James Burns rated it it was amazing

Shelves: my-librairy, christian-fiction

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil - is for good men to do nothing. Edmond Burke

All tyranny needs to gain a foothold - is for people of Good conscience to remain silent. Edmond Burke

Set in 1936 Austria in Vienna, known for its people and their love of music and culture, and a large Jewish population as was true with most European countries during hitters rise to power. Hitlers army has just broken the Versailles treaty of 1918 by rearming and occupying the Rhineland and making The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil - is for good men to do nothing. Edmond Burke

All tyranny needs to gain a foothold - is for people of Good conscience to remain silent. Edmond Burke

Set in 1936 Austria in Vienna, known for its people and their love of music and culture, and a large Jewish population as was true with most European countries during hitters rise to power. Hitlers army has just broken the Versailles treaty of 1918 by rearming and occupying the Rhineland and making it apart of Germany. This was a breach of the treaty and should have had a strong response from England, France and Italy. Their lack of response was a signed invitation for hitler to occupy all German speaking people, including Austria who wanted to remain an independent nation free of Germany. After Austria he would occupy Czechoslovakia and Poland. His only hesitation was what measures would the League of Nations take. During this time he was starting to deal with the Jewish problem.

The German Jews were already escaping from Germany to governments that they thought was safe from hitlers reach, such as Austria, Czechoslovakia and immigrating to England, the United States and Palestine. All nations were forewarned of the upcoming horror inflicted on Europe and particularly the Jews by reading a copy of hitlers mein kampf which was first published in two volumes in 1925 and an abridged copy in 1933 from which Winston Churchill read. I suppose that the English and French thought what was happening was little to pay for freedom.

This is the story of what one Jewish family went through to escape from Germany and stay intact. This is also centered on members of the Vienna philharmonic orchestra and the lives of mostly the Jewish members. This is a story of undying courage of individuals stepping up and helping innocent people escape certain imprisonment, torture and ultimately death. This is a book that identifies the horrors and instability of NAZI controlled Germany. Mans inhumanity to Man. This book also points out that not all Germans were nazis or pro nazis. Hitler was evil and vile and he brought out the worst and evil in all his minions. Prejudice and hate is a cancer will eventually eat up and destroy its victims.

England, France and the United States did nothing and remained silent.

Italy and Japan allied itself with the devil and Russia made a non-aggression pact with satan and invaded western Poland while hitler occupied eastern Poland. And then invaded Russia. You just don't know who you can trust, do you Stalin. ...more

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Jul 29, 2019 Luisa Knight rated it liked it

Shelves: world-war-2, romance, historical-fiction

I appreciated the historical research and backdrop presented in this story and how it occasionally left the main characters to show a key scene in history with Churchill, Hitler and/or Franklin. Kudos for how well this was laid out.

The story itself was pretty good too, with a lot of plot and/or action happening. More of a "Hallmark Movie" feel to it, so possessing a somewhat predictable story-line with a leading female who's obviously gorgeous and a few love quadrangles thrown in, of course. Wha I appreciated the historical research and backdrop presented in this story and how it occasionally left the main characters to show a key scene in history with Churchill, Hitler and/or Franklin. Kudos for how well this was laid out.

The story itself was pretty good too, with a lot of plot and/or action happening. More of a "Hallmark Movie" feel to it, so possessing a somewhat predictable story-line with a leading female who's obviously gorgeous and a few love quadrangles thrown in, of course. What was unlike Hallmark, however, was how this book went a little passed the line of morality standards that Hallmark follows (see Cleanliness below). By the third book, I felt that the authors had pushed it a little too far for my comfort (and I was losing interest in the new characters and the bunny trails they were making away from the main characters I wanted to read about).

Ages: 17+

Cleanliness: Even though the books in this series are published by a Christian publishing house, I didn't really think they felt all that Christian. The characters may mention God once or twice but it's fairly trivial and most of the characters certainly don't live an obvious Christian lifestyle. If you think of these books as perhaps just cleaner fiction with non-Christian characters, you might not be disappointed.

There is drinking and smoking mentioned throughout, and characters getting drunk to drowned their sorrows. There is kissing, lustful glances, and thoughts of adultery/fornication (not detailed or explicit). Lingerie is mentioned. There are characters thinking of suicide as a way out. There are about two swear words in each book (b*tch is one of the words used).

**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!

So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! You’ll see my updates as I’m reading and know which books I’m liking and what I’m not finishing and why. You’ll also be able to utilize my library for looking up titles to see whether the book you’re thinking about reading next has any objectionable content or not. From swear words, to romance, to bad attitudes (in children’s books), I cover it all!
...more

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Nov 21, 2012 Carol rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, 2012

'Vienna Prelude' by Bodie and Brock Thoene is a prequel of a six book series. The story concentrates on Jewish life in Germany and Austria during 1933 through 1936. I learned quite a bit about the reaction of the Austrian government to the takeover by Hitler. I didn’t know about the protest about the protest of the Austrians even though there was no hope of rescue from England and United States. I was very impressed by the words and actions of Churchill and Eden and some of the Austrian statesme 'Vienna Prelude' by Bodie and Brock Thoene is a prequel of a six book series. The story concentrates on Jewish life in Germany and Austria during 1933 through 1936. I learned quite a bit about the reaction of the Austrian government to the takeover by Hitler. I didn’t know about the protest about the protest of the Austrians even though there was no hope of rescue from England and United States. I was very impressed by the words and actions of Churchill and Eden and some of the Austrian statesmen.

The main characters are Elisa Linder aka Elisa Lindheim, a concert violinist whose father was raised as a Jew and John Murphy, an American reporter. The story has many minor characters but it was easy to keep them straight. Both characters were very emotional and not able to communicate their hurt and disappointment to each other so there were plenty of misunderstandings in their love story. Even though I was interested in their story throughout the book, I ended up fascinated by the story of the fall of Austria, and mostly of Vienna. The characters were painted very real and the story was vivid.

My main negative criticism is that the book’s font was tiny the book was long. I think that there could have been more edited to reduce the size of the book. I did feel like I would like to read the other five books sometime to find out what happened to all the characters of the story. Did Otto reform? Did Elsa’s father survive? Did the two continue to have turbulent lives?

Also, I thought Elsa’s life could have been simplified. She could have fewer loves. I see now that this book was written to show case what was happening to a German Nazi, a county man not carry too much about politics and the American reporter but it got so I was impatient with Elsa because she couldn’t make up her mind!

I recommend this particular part of the series to people who want to learn more about other countries that Nazi Germany took over before and after. The font verged on beginning too small for me to read and I think that may prevent me from reading the rest of the series.

...more

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Aug 07, 2014 Kasey Begg rated it liked it

This book can be slow at times, but I kept reading because there was always something about it that made you need to know what happened next. Since there are so many books about people's lives during World War II, it was nice to read something about how it was for people in the "prelude" before it started. This book uses real names and people involved in politics at the time and gives lots of information about the situation and feelings between European countries. The two main characters are an ...more

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Apr 17, 2017 Kate Willis marked it as unfinished

I hesitate to write reviews of books I have not finished, because you never know if the book really does turn out to be amazing without finishing it. So please be sure to read some positive reviews as well! This is just my personal opinion of the book.

(view spoiler) ...more

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Apr 20, 2009 Kelsey Ellis rated it it was amazing

Shelves: swank-historical-fiction, adventure-and-charisma, good-classics

I loved this book. I loved how the history wrote itself among the lives of the characters. It is thrilling, fast paced, and full of grief and longing. Takes place in one of the most tragic times of history, in the most beautiful of places. As a musician, I loved how music was weaved in, and the specks of romance all along the pages. 5 STARS!

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Feb 21, 2020 Danielle Gonzalez rated it it was amazing

This is probably one of the best books I have read in a while. It is powerfully written and puts the reader right into the middle of the most terrifying period in Europe. It was hard to put this book down, and I was anxious to find out what would happen next. This is the first in the series, and while it ties up some loose ends, there are plenty left to leave me wanting to read the next book now!

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Nov 28, 2016 Tirzah Eleora rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Actual rating more like a 3.5. Surprisingly good for a Christian romance novel. The historical aspects were well-researched and well-presented through the viewpoints of various characters. The writing is engaging in the sense that I always wanted to turn the page and the book is quite suspenseful at times. It had me on the edge of my seat towards the end.

The writing is NOT engaging in the character department. I couldn't sympathize or connect with any of them, which I blame on the author's unde Actual rating more like a 3.5. Surprisingly good for a Christian romance novel. The historical aspects were well-researched and well-presented through the viewpoints of various characters. The writing is engaging in the sense that I always wanted to turn the page and the book is quite suspenseful at times. It had me on the edge of my seat towards the end.

The writing is NOT engaging in the character department. I couldn't sympathize or connect with any of them, which I blame on the author's under-developing of most of them as well as the lack of diversity and depth. Elisa, in particular, felt very flat. For a good portion of the book we know only that she is a talented and pretty (the pretty part is harped on a lot) and is getting over a disappointing affair with a German officer who jilted her. But other than that? We know next to nothing of her personality. This can be said of every character in the book really.

As far as the romance goes, that was poorly done as well. There's lots of insta love and drama-for-the-sake-of-drama.

The Christian aspects were pretty subtle. Which I could appreciate, were it not for the fact that it felt like the author wanted the label but didn't actually want the faith of her characters to influence their actions much. Which it doesn't. They occasionally pray or mention church going, but when it comes to life decisions God doesn't seem to have much to do with it. (An exception would be Marta and Karl Wattenburger, who are strong in their faith.) Perhaps their seeming lack of faith will be worked on later in the series? Is is supposed to be a character issue? (We wouldn't know, given the aforementioned lack character development.) In particular, I had a problem with the way the author portrayed two Christian characters, Elisa and Karl, as both engaging in blatant sexual sin. Karl lusts after his brother's wife and Elisa has slept with Thomas, but neither seem to feel any shame and these things were not presented as being problems. Also, when Thomas invites Elisa to sleep with him later in the book, she turns him down, not because his offer is wrong, but because she no longer feels all fluttery when she sees him. I don't expect Christian fiction to be squeaky clean, with characters who are overtly pious and never sin, but I do expect it to deal with the issues in a realistic and appropriate way. It wasn't dealt with period here.

All in all, it was fun to read but definitely not great literature. I might read the sequel, as this one ends on a partial cliffhanger. ...more

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Feb 10, 2015 Katherine Salinas rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Being that this is an older book, I'm surprised it is so good and haven't really heard of it until now.
I should start by saying I rarely give a 5 star status to a book. This had many things going for it before I even started: highly recommended by someone I totally admire, trust and respect for her literary opinion, it set during WWII which is a favorite time period in which to read and the main character is a musician, of which I am also.
That said, this book blew me away. It was well written b ...more

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Jan 15, 2008 Alexandra rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, zion-covenant, read-in-2008

Overall I really enjoyed this book. The historical facts are accurate, and incorporated into the story to give perspective.

Although this isn't really a romance novel, it does include romance elements. As with many (of the few) romances I've read the bone-headedness, misunderstandings, incorrect assumptions, of the would be lovers is frustrating at many places, is agonizing to the point where it's almost unbearable. That they just couldn't figure out they were both crazy about each other. I just ...more

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Jul 11, 2011 Ruth Hill rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, historical

This was the first thing I ever read by the Thoenes. I read the entire series, and I was totally blown away by it! The historical accuracy and the delightful characters got me more interested in WWII than I ever had been before. I love the fact that the Thoenes cover the war in a way that you often don't see. This is one of those books that has stuck with me over the years. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good historical read with a Christian touch. ...more

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Feb 06, 2018 Sharon Huether rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, holocaust

During the Hitler invasion of Austria. Elise a violinist with the Vienna Philharmonic, was thourly
Surprised when she received a rare violin from the concert master in his dying moments.
Her friend Leah knew all about the violin and the magic of it’s case .
Elise became part of the underground risking her life and the lives of her friends and family .
She is able to protect innocent children by what the violin case revealed.

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May 13, 2008 Lisa Brown rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: series, historical-fiction, world-war-ii, favorites

A story set in Vienna, Austria before the start of WW II, during Hitler's rise to power. It is full of great characters and wonderful history, and you get caught up in the story as the people of Austria see their world slowly dissolve into Hitler's ambition. I loved it, and can'twait to read the rest of the series. ...more

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Oct 23, 2011 Bailey Bristol rated it it was amazing

This is one of the most stirring WWII stories I have ever read. The characters are immediately engaging, and the circumstances at once original, alarming, and fulfilling. It's Book One of the Zion Covenant, and I am thrilled to see that I will be staying with these rich, desperately compelling characters through four more books in the series. ...more

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Jan 17, 2008 Jennie rated it really liked it

Love, love, love this book. But WWII and what everyone went through is completely fascinating to me.

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Dec 31, 2018 Hannah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical, thoene, ww2, christian-author, read-in-2019, romance, 1930s-1940s

I love a good historical novel the Thoenes are my favourite author. I love how they don't heroise either side that you get all perspectives that they don't tend to preach ...more

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Feb 18, 2017 Michelle rated it it was amazing

One of the first Christian books I ever read. Great story.

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Mar 16, 2017 Hope rated it liked it

Shelves: light-reading, wwii

Rich with historical details, this book is slow-going at times. In fact the authors took the first hundred pages to set the stage, but the pace picks up after that.

I don't mind some romance, but found it hard to like the female protagonist who steals the heart of every many she meets. Even when she finally chooses one of the men, their relationship is pretty rocky. Not my cup of tea.

Still, I learned a lot of WWII history and enjoyed "getting to know" several of the multi-layered characters: The ...more

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May 08, 2020 Rebekah Rojas rated it really liked it

This was a very well written story and I can't wait to read the rest but I give it four stars because it's a bit graphic in some details that are unnecessary in my opinion. ...more

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Oct 04, 2020 Chuck rated it really liked it

An historical fictional account of the events leading up to and including the Anschluss in the earlier days of Nazi domination in Europe and the targeting of Jews. The characters are interesting, the unfolding of the story is engrossing, but the romance portions were just silly.

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Apr 14, 2017 Zak K. rated it really liked it

The book was really really really good. Every last bit of it was amazing, EXCEPT chapter two. I hated chapter two, but other than that the book was great.

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Mar 26, 2019 Michelle Bruhn rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: christian

I wanted to love this book. I ended up thinking it was decent.

Four friends recommended this series when I told them I wanted to try #HistoricalFiction. WWII is one of the few time-periods I’m kind of interested in and I’m a #musician, so it made sense. Sadly, though, I don’t think I can continue reading this series without falling back into a reading slump.

Got any recommendations for historical fiction that will hold the attention of someone who hates history as a subject?

THE ❤️:
I loved Elisa. S I wanted to love this book. I ended up thinking it was decent.

Four friends recommended this series when I told them I wanted to try #HistoricalFiction. WWII is one of the few time-periods I’m kind of interested in and I’m a #musician, so it made sense. Sadly, though, I don’t think I can continue reading this series without falling back into a reading slump.

Got any recommendations for historical fiction that will hold the attention of someone who hates history as a subject?

THE ❤️:
I loved Elisa. She’s strong but flawed, loves her family and friends dearly and will do anything for them, and when she finds a way to use her Aryan-likeness to save a bunch of Jewish kids, she risks her life to do it.
Murphy was annoying but lovable—each time I saw a section was about him I was interested (until historical events started happening, but we'll get there soon).
The musical aspect made my heart happy. The musician jokes, the way certain pieces affected the characters, playing Mozart as an act of defiance against the Nazis. These are my people.

THE 😐:
Love triangles & drama. I typically hate it, so the fact that I was sometimes really invested in this part of the book is to the authors’ credit. Other times, though, I yelled at the book, “You idiots! Just talk to each other, it’ll fix everything!!!”
The concentration camp scenes were inspiring and depressing—as they should have been—but they were too wordy. Maybe I’d have liked this better if I knew Faust and The Traveler.

THE 👎:
Guys. I’m sorry. Every time Murphy sat in on a conversation that had historical significance, I got bored. I skimmed so much of this book and I am ashamed.
There were too many perspective characters, and so many instances when the perspective jumped from one character to another within the same paragraph. I’m told it gets worse in later books.

THE CONCLUSION:
I thought the book was decent. I cared about the main characters and want to know who makes it out alive, but I don’t know if I can make it through another book like this. I might pick up the second one eventually, but right now, I’m not feeling it. ...more

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Mar 19, 2011 Luann rated it really liked it

Recommended to Luann by: Geri, Gina

Shelves: adult, historical-fiction, 2011, religion, holocaust, war

It took me quite a while to get caught up with the characters and their stories, but once it happened, I was hooked! At that point, I didn't stop reading until I reached the end. There were times when I felt like I was there with the characters sharing what they experienced.

Now I see that this is just the first of NINE books! I'll be waiting until I have a large chunk of time, but I will definitely be reading more in this series.

The authors had the characters tell me what I should be learning ...more

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Jan 15, 2016 Corinne Edwards rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: christian-fiction, austria, 2017, germany, eastern-europe-exploring, historical-fiction, 1997, vienna, war, music

I first read this series of books twenty years ago (literally within a month of twenty years, I just looked it up!) and when I saw three of the middle books on the shelf at the thrift store, I snatched them up. Back then, I fell in love with this set of stories for their multidimensional characters, the thorough historical setting and for the romantic interplay between our main character, the German violinist Elisa and John, the American journalist. I also liked that faith is a part of the story ...more

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About Bodie Thoene

Bodie Thoene

974 followers

BODIE AND BROCK THOENE (pronounced Tay-nee) have written over 45 works of historical fiction. These best sellers have sold more than 10 million copies and won eight ECPA Gold Medallion Awards.

Bodie began her writing career as a teen journalist for her local newspaper. Eventually her byline appeared in prestigious periodicals such as U.S. News and World Report, The American West, and The Saturday E ...more

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Quotes from Vienna Prelude

“The seasons sang to him - like ageless hymns with whisperings he could feel, but not fully understand.” — 10 likes

“This is me, God! Elisa. I once saw you in all the world. But the world is dark now, Lord. Full. Full of darkness. Close your eyes for a moment, God, and let me sing to you. Let me remember that you are here. Here in the notes. Smiling down as I play for you. Just this moment, God, let me sing to you. And maybe in the song, I will forget whether I am singing to you, or you are singing to me . . . ” — 9 likes

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