It was a brisk January, 2004 day in Washington DC as the young, nondescript musician emerged from the Metro subway train in L’Enfant Station. Wearing blue jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt, with a Washington Nationals cap on his head, he selected a spot against the wall. He removed his cherished violin from its small case, placed a few dollar bills and pocket change in the case as seed money, and turned to face the morning foot traffic. He began to play.

In the course of the next 43 minutes 6 classical pieces were performed; 1097 people passed by, 7 stopped long enough to appreciate the music and made donations to the violin case totaling $32 and change. The violinist played a selection of classic greats that have endured the ages rather than catchy pop tunes.

By the way the violinist was Joshua Bell, 39 year old internationally acclaimed virtuoso playing his Stradivarius. Three days before he had played to a full house at the Boston Symphony Hall where merely good tickets cost over $100 and two weeks later to a standing room only crowd in Baltimore. He is a Grammy award winning international star who was virtually ignored by the crowd hurrying to work.

Lake Aurora is a treasure hidden in plain sight. Lake Aurora exists to provide the opportunity for us to slow down and appreciate the beauty that God has placed before us. As we step aside from the daily grind we have a better opportunity to acknowledge the mastery of the Creator as we view His Word and His works in this uninterrupted environment. He deserves more than a passing glance and pocket change. He deserves our all. Come step aside.