The Second Violin

By Osvaldo Castro

If no one plays second, we have no harmony"... How can we maintain a pure and selfless devoted servant heart in a society that thrives on excessive competitiveness and doesn't appreciate being in second place? "The Second Violin" takes the reader on a captivating, spiritual, and inspirational journey through the stories of those who chose to trust and serve wholeheartedly. Embracing a humble and devoted approach to life, the characters portrayed in this book emphasize the value of serving a greater purpose even when not in the spotlight or in the first place, recognizing that they were not the central figures. They embody the renewal of a surrendered spirit, filled with love and devotion for God's cause.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Osvaldo Castro
• Release date: Jan 18, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224640805

Book preview

The Second Violin

© Osvaldo Castro

First Edition, 2021

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Cover Design by: Alexis O. Salamanca

Edit & Format: Independent Publisher

Translation: Family and friends from Lifeway Ministry – Los Angeles, California

https://osvaldocastro.com

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MADE IN THE USA

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the Author.

THE SECOND

Violin

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OSVALDO CASTRO

Table of contents

Prologue

Introduction

From major to minor

Don't waste your pain!

No immediate reward

Your past doesn’t dictate your future

Longing without selfishness

Renouncing the place of honor

Useful or important?

John Mark, who?

...And the last will be first

Acknowledgments:

To my God, the God of love and compassion who always sees what men sometimes do not.

To my beloved Isa and my princesses Ari and Lili, whom with their constant love and affection, make me feel the most blessed man in the world.

To my friends, for their encouragement and feedback and to the group of professionals who have contributed their experience to making the completion of this work possible.

Dedicated to all those who, despite feeling a broken heart, are determined to continue trusting along their life’s journey.

Prologue

While reading The Second Violin by Osvaldo Castro, I remembered a challenging experience in the emergency department where I was working in the 1990’s. It was 4am and my night shift would be over in 3 hours. It had been a busy night, and I was hoping that the rest of the shift would be uneventful as I was tired after 6 hours of seeing acutely ill patients. I was one of the few doctors in the hospital in the early morning hours. We finally had a break in the action, and I was sitting at the desk catching up on my charting when the paramedics brought in a new patient. The patient was a young boy who looked about 8 years old who was complaining of pain. The mother was at the side of the paramedic gurney trying to comfort him.  I overheard the triage nurse say that the child had a sore throat. In what was not one of my finer moments I wondered in my mind Why does someone call 911 for a sore throat at 4am in the morning? I was tired and annoyed that I could not have a few more minutes for a break. The child had been placed in an ER bed, put on a heart monitor, and had vital signs done which were all normal. I finished my charting, and I went over to see the child and speak with his mother. The mother confirmed that the child had, indeed, come in due to a sore throat. I then asked the mom about signs of infection assuming the pain was due to a throat infection and that the child at most would need a prescription for antibiotics and go home. 

Suddenly, the child vomited a large amount of both dark and bright red blood. I looked up at the monitor and his heart rate was now racing. As he vomited more blood a second time the child began to turn pale and sweaty. Suddenly, my mind went from thinking about a common illness to completely focusing on what was happening. The mother then told me that the child had a tonsillectomy the day before. As the nurses were placing an IV and preparing for a possible blood transfusion, I asked our Unit Secretary, Maria, to call our on-call Head and Neck surgeon immediately and to notify the operating room (OR) team so that they could prepare for surgery. One of the most serious complications of having a tonsillectomy is bleeding. When there is significant bleeding that is bright red, this can be life-threatening, and the patient needs to go to the operating room to ensure that the bleeding stops. The Head and Neck surgeon was on the phone almost immediately. I let her know what was happening and she said she would arrive as soon as possible and have the child prepped and ready for surgery. We stabilized the child who thankfully had stopped vomiting blood, and made sure that cross matched blood was ready, if needed. The OR team brought the child to the surgical suite where the surgeon was waiting and stopped the bleeding. The next day the child still had a sore throat but was doing great. 

There is a song by the band for King and Country called Unsung Hero. It is a song about a man who sees his mom and dad as the