360

My life comes full circle a lot.  I think it's safe to say that it does so more than lots of others' lives.  I guess living in my hometown ensures that I will bump in to a lot of folks who, for a number of reasons, bring me "back" to the beginning.  I like being reminded of my life as a child, as a teen, a young adult and even more recently.  My life is what it is.  I like to look back, think forward, learn from the past and apply it to the future.  I am grateful for it all.

Today, my life came so full circle it was doing loop de loops right before my very eyes. 

We had two Little Music School recitals this morning.  Each was filled (and I mean FILLED) with family and friends of our youngest students, all enjoying a quick morning of music and lots of laughter.  Great morning.  It is these mornings that remind me why I love what I do.

In the recitals sat two woman, one at each recital.  These women each had their reasons for being there.  One has recently re-joined (to our sheer delight) the FSPA faculty.  She was there to support the program and enjoy seeing some of her students perform.  The other was there to see her grandson perform in his first of many (hopefully) recitals.  They both undoubtedly walked up the steps of 38 Main thinking that they were there to support the children in their lives under the age of five.  

Funny thing is, they also unknowingly supported another child over the age of 40.  Me. 

Both of these women were my teachers when I was a student at FSPA twenty-eight years ago.  

Both of these women are very much "why"  I do what I do.  

Both of these women, I'm sure, have not a clue as to the impact they have had on my life. 

In 1985, we were teenagers.  Not unlike many FSPA students now.  We were there because we loved what we learned there.  We learned a lot, all the while alongside our best friends (who, by they way are still best friends).  We were (we thought) way cool and, at the time, didn't look much past ourselves.  We were consumed with our lives, our thoughts, our friends, our, our, our....  We didn’t think, at the time, that we needed anything more than "us". We thought that we could conquer the world on our own, with no help from anyone else.

Both of these women knew otherwise. They, along with some other amazing adults, always stopped, listened, smiled, hugged, held, supported and loved.  

This morning, as they were sitting there, listening to me speak about the LMS program, they both nodded their heads as they did so many times, when I was working on a monologue or song as a teen.  They nodded their heads and smiled at me, offering encouragement simply by being there.  They nodded their heads and smiled at me, in support of me and what I hold near and dear. 

Once again decades later, they both stopped, listened, smiled, hugged, held, supported and loved.

And for that, I am forever grateful.