In this life, beauty is passing. A flower in spring, a moment in a musical phrase, a person who truly sees us. These moments are beautiful partly because they will soon be gone, yet they awaken a memory of something we have desired all along.

The fragile nature of beauty is inseparable from our awareness, conscious or otherwise, that such moments are fleeting. For an instant, they allow us to encounter and perhaps briefly satisfy the unknown longings within us.

These moments often arrive at times of change — new directions, endings and beginnings. In short, turning points.

Throughout my life, I have been drawn toward discovering and understanding these junctures, whether in history, musical traditions, or my own experience. By recognizing where something turns, we come to a deeper understanding of both what has passed and what lies ahead.

Looking back awakens nostalgia for what was, while looking forward carries the hopeful expectation of what may come.