Thank God for the Music

I played piano today at the Marriott on an instrument tucked away in a corner by chairs and tables. At first I was sad to be all alone, because it is always nicer to play for people. Then I realized that angels had come to listen to me play, and I thought of how Heavenly Father must have loved to listen to my music and maybe He still comes sometimes. I could feel His love especially strongly tonight, and wondered if He was nearby. I know that I was given a gift, probably to give me some way to accurately express myself. I feel close to the music and sometimes it makes me laugh (or frustrates me, depending on the day) when people talk to me while I am playing because they don't realize that I am already deeply involved in another conversation. I prefer to take off my shoes when I play because through my bare feet I can feel the pulse of the piano so much better, and the cool metal calms me if I am ever nervous. I don't sway and swing when I play like some pianists do. I follow the flow of the music and move when it does. Also, if I can I prefer to play with my eyes closed because it heightens the perceptions of my other senses and I can respond better to the music.

It amazes me how many sounds the music has. Tonight I realized that some music sounds clean, and I added that to my list of adjectives describing it. Sunshiny, rainy, powerful, sincere, bubbly, pensive... These are other ones on the list. I never expect to play a song the same way twice, because the message changes with every playing.

The closeness that I feel with music is what reminds me that there is a God. It is too celestial to be the gradual development of some animal instinct. It is a heavenly heirloom. It puts me in touch with the intangible; feelings like joy, wonder, loneliness, sorrow, and peace are just some of the feelings it presents (the ones that already have names). I once had the thought, "How could a loving (Heavenly) Father send us away without anything to remember Him by? No pictures, no postcards, no trinkets to remind us of the happy life before our mortal birth?" And then I remember the music.

Brief intro, because time is valuable

I am sitting here in the Crystal City metro station, and since I have a 5-minute wait I decided to be productive and write my first blog post. I have been putting it off for quite some time, because let's be honest, I have no exciting reasons for starting a blog, I don't want to write an "editorial" and a first post usually includes an explanation of the blog's name and I don't have one.

Background. I am currently doing student teaching to complete my degree in Elementary Education, and I chose to teach in an inner-city Washington DC school. The work is new and challenging, but I am starting to get in my groove and hopefully things will go up from here!

Other things about me...

I love fruit and working out, I think dishsoap (the machine kind) smells like paradise, and if I am angry/hungry, lonely, excited, etc. you will probably only know it if I play the piano. My pride and joy in life is my family - 9 amazing brothers, 3 soul sisters, and the best parents in the world, plus 2 wonderful sisters-in-law, a favorite brother-in-law, and super cute nieces and a nephew. I know, it is overwhelming just reading it, but if you are imagining scenes from 'Cheaper by the Dozen' with kids rappelling from rooftops and constant chaos running rampant through the house, know that it only happens that way about one day in...21. Maybe more. (We have actually never rappelled from the rooftop, although we did help shingle the roof when we built on to our house and it has become a favorite place to read and talk in the summertime.)

Another thing you should know right off the bat is that my faith plays a HUGE part in my life. Let me rephrase that: it IS my life. Everything I see and do is through the lens of my personal beliefs as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Nothing in life is as important as knowing my own standing with God and knowing that He is pleased with me.

So now that you know the most important things about me, let me tell you that I don't usually open up easily. I mean really open up. It takes me months of casual friendship to really trust a person, and it will likely be the same with this writing business. So if you are the type of person that flips ahead in a book to skip the preliminaries (and I feel sheepish to admit that I fall in this category), then maybe check back this summer for more interesting and personal stories.

Okay! I am almost to my destination now, so I will adjourn for the present. Buona giornata!