Brian likes to make Kayla breakfast on Saturday mornings. I normally won't eat his pancakes and real bacon, eggs, and sausage because it's so unhealthy. So, this Saturday I suggested we go to McDonald's. That way, I could eat my parfait and egg mcmuffin, and Brian and Kayla could eat their pancakes and sausage. After breakfast, I had to head down to rehearsal in Fayetteville for a performance I had Saturday night. I took this picture from my car in the McDonald's parking lot. All of the flags have been flying at half mast since the school shooting tragedy.
Our rehearsal began at 11:00 a.m. at the Walton Arts Center. The timpani, brass, and bass were directly to my left. It was loud, but cool to watch them play.
Here was my view of the SoNA (Symphony of Northwest Arkansas) singers and orchestra. Paul Haas, our conductor from NYC, is in the blue shirt on center left. He's pretty intense, funny, to the point, and VERY good at what he does!
Jessica and I brought our reading material so we weren't bored during the parts of the rehearsal where the symphony played and we just sat there. It was pretty cool that Terry sat us next to one another. Not only do we get to work together, but we also get to sing together in SoNA in the alto section. Jessica has a special place in my heart. She's a beautiful person, inside and out, and I never would have guessed when we hired her 1 1/2 years ago that she would become one of my good friends!
We had our performance Saturday night at 7:30. It was a sold out show. I had a moment during our performance. We were singing, "Let There Be Peace on Earth" and tears just started streaming down my face. Yes, it might have something to do with the pregnancy hormones. However, every musician has those moments when the music is so powerful and moving, and you realize the sounds you are a part of can only come from God and His Presence. When that happens, I have this moment of perfect peace. Those music moments serve as a reminder for me that even though bad things happen, and we don't always understand why, God is in control. There is a special place in heaven for those babies and the adults who died trying to protect them. No one understands why God allowed this to happen, but who are we to question Him and His plan? My grandma always said, "Everything happens for a reason." That stands true for the good, as well as the bad. Sometimes, I lose sight of what is truly important. Life isn't about how great of a teacher or leader I am; it's not about how good I can sing or play piano; it doesn't really matter how high my degree is or whether or not I'm a National Board Certified teacher. Life is about letting my family and friends know day in and day out that they are loved. (I think I've given Kayla more love and attention the past two days, than I've given her in a long time.) It's that I let my students know I care for them even though they drive me crazy sometimes. It's that I lend a helping hand to someone, even it's something small. It's that I take time out of each day to spend time in prayer and let God know that He is important to me and that I'm truly grateful for all He's blessed me with. Life for all of us should be about spreading LOVE, for the Bible states "God is love" and therefore love is MUCH stronger than hate. Love will endure for eternity. As our encore song we sang on Saturday states, "Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me."
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27
