From a past life:

Here is a video of a true artist, the father of my wooden friends, the violin maker Michael Fischer. 

I have not played a single note in nearly three years, and never will be able to in the future. It's pretty cut-and-dry, and I am not the sentimental sort. But it occurs to me that of my forty years as a violinist (no, I am not a senior citizen,  just started early!), fifteen or so were spent in the company of instruments built by Michael, several different ones, all of which I kept. They really are people when they are played. Not being engaged with them is probably the only aspect of my disability as a violinist which saddens me.