Ash Wednesday

For some, today is just another day of the year.  For me, today was Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. At Mass this evening, God taught me a few things.

*To the two girls sitting in the pew behind me: Yes, I heard you when you whispered to your friend that "the girl in front of us must go to church all of the time because she knows what she is doing."

-Yes: I attend Sunday Mass each week.  I am proud of my Catholic faith. I was proud to have those ashes put on my forehead.

*To the mom who brought her gifted son to mass today and allowed him to not only receive the Body of Christ but also the Blood of Christ: thank you! You were a reminder to me that people believe that even though their son or daughter may not be considered normal to some, he/she can still know and love the same God that we believe in..He is the one who created each of us.

Lent isn't about giving up candy or Facebook...Lent is about offering ourselves to the Lord.  It is about repenting and having mercy for our sins.  Lent is about trusting in God.  It's not just about how much more time we spend talking with God..but more importantly how much time we spend listening to Him.  In order to grow closer to Him, we must must do two things: pray to him and then listen for His response.  We must be willing to listen to His plan for us in order to have a stronger relationship with Him.

National Signing Day

Today was National Signing Day. While I love the fact that these young people get to go on and play sports in college..why do we have to watch it on the news? Why don't they interview the ballet dancer who is going to Juilliard, the jazz player who is going to North Texas, or the tuba player who is going to Northwestern? We announce that some baseball player committed to a community college, but we can't announce that a bassoon player from a small town made it into the music program at Notre Dame?

Let me first start by saying that I support all of my friends who are student athletes..I love you all and am so proud of you. 

But the truth of the matter is that people who go on to study music, dance, or theatre in college are practically student athletes. We put in long days full of classes, rehearsals, and individual practice time..not to mention the homework from our classes. We have many performances to not only perform in but to also attend..we go on tour..we have other gigs outside of school..we have jobs..we we teach lessons..the list goes on.

We don't receive the recognition that student athletes receive. We make it to All-State, receive scholarships, win solo completions, get accepted and "commit" to top schools, and yet no one interviews us and puts it on the news..

Why?

"Viewers" can come and watch our performances just like they can go watch a basketball or football game. You can find entertainment by watching a play or musical, just like you can from watching a softball game. 

So here's to all of my friends who are auditioning and/or got accepted to go on to study music in college!

Sunshine On A Cloudy Day

One of the hardest things in life is to remember that there is always a ray of sunshine at the end of the tunnel.  

The past few months, I have had to remind myself of this a lot.  For the longest time, it just felt like everything was going wrong, one person died after another..or someone was diagnosed with an illness..and it just felt like nothing was going right.  

I thought going back to school would help me to forget these things.  But the truth is that I will never forget what these past few months have been like.  

Heading back to school has not been easy breezy.  There are times at school where I’m smiling and laughing because I am surrounded by my wonderful friends and teachers who care about me.  But there are other times when I just can’t help but think of everything that has changed over the past few months.  I wonder why these things happen to so many people that I know…and the truth is that I will probably never know the answer.  

I am lucky to have so many people in my life who care about me and support me in my endeavors.  This has been my sunshine, or ray of light, throughout a dark time that I must remind myself of.  

Each day brings many emotions that take me in different directions.  Some days I wake up and want to go share my story with others..and some days I just want to stay in bed all day with a bowl of ice cream and a sad movie so that I have a ‘reason’ to cry. 

Remember to tell your family, friends, and anyone else who matters to you that they are important to you. Always tell them that you love them, even on the toughest days.  Share with them how they have brought sunshine to your life.  

Lastly, remember to smile.  A smile, even from a stranger, can change someone’s day. Smiling is the greatest way to give someone a ray of sunshine. 

Peace, love, and hugs to all of my family, friends, teachers, and mentors.  

My Heroes

     While the big man upstairs will always be my one, true hero, I believe that we are allowed to have people here on earth who we consider to be our hero(s).  For me, those people here on earth that I consider to be my heroes are my mom and dad.  My parents are two of the most loving, caring, humble, and hard-working people that I have ever met.

     My parents care about their two daughters beyond what my sister and I could ask for. They  always support us and show us love, even on the days when we make poor decisions. I know some may say that that is their duty as parents...but I would argue that my parents go above and beyond how most parents care for their children. My parents stay up late waiting for us, just to make sure that we are home safely. When I am away at school, my dad is always alerting me of weather threats that are in my area. My mom is the one I call when I don't feel so good. She is also the one I call when I don't know how to iron a shirt or get a stain out of a piece of clothing.

     My parents show my sister and I what it means to give back to our community. Both of my parents are very involved in our community. My parents not only give monetary donations to local organizations, but they also volunteer and share their time and talents. Both of my parents belong to and/or support local, national, and international organizations such as Kiwanis International and Epsilon Sigma Alpha International. My parents have passed the value of giving back to my sister and I, as we were both active in Key Club during high school and are both members of ESA.

     My mom and dad have taught me what it means to be devoted to your job.  They both go beyond what is asked or necessary to make sure that their duties are complete. My parents show(ed) commitment to their jobs.  My dad worked as a police officer for thirty-five years, and my mom has worked in the lab at the hospital for over forty years.  To me, those numbers reflect true commitment and dedication not only to their employers, but also to the community.  Those numbers reflect their commitment and dedication to providing for their family, to make sure my sister and I had the best care possible.

     While there is so much more I could share about both of my parents, I just want to say a special thank you to them for everything that they have done and continue to do day in and day out.  My parents always talk about how proud they are of my sister and I, and I feel they deserve recognition for raising us to be the people we are today.

     My parents have taught me to give back to the community, to follow my dreams, to put my trust in God, to be committed to my endeavors, to be humble, and to be the best person that I can be. Thank you mom and dad for everything that you have done.  I will always be in debt to you for the love and compassion that you have shown me. Each day you continue to inspire me to be the best that I can be. I truly love you both, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything.

A Moment for Reflection

Today I decided to take a few minutes out of my busy schedule to listen to a recording of a solo I played at ISYM in 2011. I am not particularly proud of how I performed that day, so I usually don't go back and listen to the recording. 

Something was different when I listened to it this time. Instead of thinking about how bad I played that day, I thought about much I have improved. I thought about why I am not proud of the performance I had...and if I still have the same issues today. I realized that some of the weaknesses I had then are still weaknesses..but I also noticed that some have become strengths. 

I thought about why I still have some of the same weaknesses. For many of my weaknesses, it's not because I don't know what to do..it's simply because I choose not to practice certain things, even though I know I should practice those things. The only thing stopping me from working on my weaknesses is myself. So yes, maybe if I would have practiced (more) in high school, I wouldn't have some of those weaknesses..but that is in the past..so I need to remind myself that hard works pays off..and that the sooner I start working on my weaknesses the sooner that they might not be weaknesses anymore. I also have to remind myself that some things may always be a weakness that I will always have to practice..but it's about making them less of a weakness or barrier that keeps me from playing certain literature. 

As I head into the final weeks of the semester, I will try to stay positive and remind myself that hard work pays off! 

"Don't encourage mediocrity. Play at your best and don't be second class in the head." - Arnold Jacobs

A Light-post Along the Path

Mondays are the longest day of the week for me.  I start at 9am, and by the end of the day I have had two classes, four rehearsals, plus time in the practice room.

With two performances this week, I have extra rehearsals which leads to planning out my playing very carefully. After three long rehearsals, I headed over to CoFAC for my fourth and final rehearsal.  I didn't want to be there-my face hurt, my body hurt, and all I could think about was getting something to eat and putting on my pajamas/laying in bed.  But yet there I was, trying to tell myself that I could play for just one more hour.

By the end of the last rehearsal, I was exhausted.  All I wanted to do was put my trumpet away and head to my room. The director stopped me to tell me how I was doing very well.  He reminded me of how much my sound has improved.  To be honest, I wasn't expecting to receive this compliment.  It was completely out of the blue, in my opinion.  While I know that I still have a major amount of work to do when it comes to my trumpet playing, this compliment could not have come at a better time.

This compliment was a light-post along the path..a gentle reminder that hard work pays off.  There are many days when I just want to quit, but yet I get up the next day and pick up the trumpet again.  It's always nice to have someone tell you that they've noticed the work you've put in.  So, as I continue with the rest of my extremely busy week, I am ready to tackle the next obstacles that will be thrown at me.

ESA

ESA-Epsilon Sigma Alpha. It's a way of life. It's a part of who I am.

ESA isn't something that I joined after going off to college. I've been brought up in ESA..if you've been to a convention, you've probably heard many of the people say how they remember when I was in diapers...well, that's the truth..My first IC Convention was when I was 9 months old..and so far I haven't missed one-so I really have been brought up in ESA.

One of my favorite things in ESA is going to IC Convention. Going to convention allows me to see so many people who I consider family.  My whole family knows that when you arrive at the hotel, you better be ready for lots of hugs and kisses.  Amanda and I know that everyone will ask the same questions- How old are you now? Do you have a job? Do you have a boyfriend? How is school going? How is band? Where are you living? Have you started a chapter yet?-all week long...and as much as we may get frustrated with having to respond so many times to these questions, we still respond because the people asking those questions are important to us. 

ESA has taught me the importance of giving back to the community.  ESA has also taught me the importance of sharing my talents to help others.  ESA has allowed me to find my passion for supporting Easter Seals and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. ESA has allowed me to make an uncountable number of friends-many of whom I consider family. ESA has taught me so much more than I will ever know.

The men and women of ESA support, encourage, and love me more than I will ever know.  I will always be grateful to ESA for all of the memories.  

For more info: http://www.epsilonsigmaalpha.org/Homepage