The Prayers of Christmas Past

Our recital was Saturday afternoon.  There are students who always shine and I appreciate them.  There are also students who occasionally steal the show with an exceptionally awesome performance from the heart.  This year it was Kathryn playing Harmony of the Angels.  I was breathless.  She really got it. Hope's Mary Did You Know was also very special.  Congrats to everyone!

This morning I ventured out for groceries.  I bought grapefruit and yogurt in hopes to make up for five days of eating nothing but leftover sugar cookies and chex mix. I have this awesome grocery delivery service. I truly believe it is worth the extra nickel here and there. The thing is, in order to really take advantage of the service you have to actually order the groceries.  They don't read minds. The deadline was last night at 11:00 and I was practicing and forgot.  So I had to go to Kawalski's where I am tempted by much more than a nickel's extra in impulse purchases.

Last night after I missed the grocery order deadline I went down memory lane. I pulled up the last ten years of Christmas recital programs. Highlights of the ghosts of Christmas past haunted me. One of them was Scott playing the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata. He begged me to play it, against my better judgement I let him. It wasn't in my curriculum for him and I didn't spend much time on it. It was his own baby. He nailed it. He might have been Beethoven himself hunched over the piano in concentration. Then there was Stefanie, Jackie, Grace and Cassy playing O Holy Night as a quartet.  Getting four giggly teen age girls to play as an ensemble was a great test of my coaching ability.

I loved playing the secondo for Aidan on Sleigh Ride, even if we took it ten counts too fast, but if I had to pick one moment from the last eleven years, it would be Stefanie singing "The Prayer" with Cassy accompanying her.  We had a group lesson that Friday night which served as a dress rehearsal. No parents. I had just learned that Katelyn and Kelsey were moving away. Grace and Jackie had just learned that their mother had breast cancer (happy to report she is cancer free).  Other students were having their own private issues. Every kid in the room had something going on. When Stefanie and Cassy started, I walked to the back of the studio pretending to be listening for the balance.  In truth, I was choking back sobs and hoping nobody would notice.

They captured the piece. Kids get it. Sometimes they just get loud and soft where you tell them to, but now and then they really get it.   When they do--you never forget it.

I pray you'll be our eyes, and watch us where we go

And help us to be wise in times when we don't know

Let this be our prayer, when we lose our way

Lead us to the place, guide us with your grace

To a place where we'll be safe

I pray we'll find your light, and hold it in our hearts

when stars go out at night, 

remind us where you are

Let this be our prayer, when shadows fill our day

Help us find a place, guide us with your grace

Give us faith so we'll be safe

And every heart that's broken will be mended

And we'll remember we are all God's children

Reaching out to touch you

Reaching to the sky

We ask that life be kind, and watch us from above

We hope each soul will find another soul to love

Let this be our prayer, just like every child

Needs to find a place, guide us with your grace

Give us faith so we'll be safe

Click here to go to youtube:  Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli--live (not Stef and Cassy, but a nice reminder. . . )