13 - The Song of The Heart

When I was very little - 7 or something - my Dad told me he would buy me my own hymn book if I would learn to play the hymn, Come, Come Ye Saints. I told my piano teacher about it and she said I was not good enough to play it yet. My Dad bought a simplified hymn book to try and help, but it was too late.

The gauntlet had been thrown down when she uttered the "can't" word. Interesting (or not) side note - I don't mind when I realize I can't do something, but when someone else tells me that....sometimes (rarely) I agree. This wasn't one of those times.

I worked at that hymn until my whole family was probably sick to death of it. But, guess what?! I learned it so well that I still can play it by memory to this day. AND - I got my very own hymn book. Thanks, Dad for believing in me! Maybe Zora did too...just had a different method for inciting me. :)

Anywho - learning Come, Come Ye Saints started me down a path of loving to play hymns. I was the pianist or organist for everything growing up - family conferences and Christmas events, primary, young womens, sacrament meeting, firesides (where I was jinxed for a while and made a mistake in the intro every time for months - even in front of Jon Schmidt and President Hinckley), big regional basketball tournament kick-off meetings (thanks to Uncle Blaine), stake events (where I had to play with Richard Elliot and Elizabeth Ballantyne sitting right behind me - one of my worst performances EVER!), sitting around the piano with my family on a Sunday night, on vacation in Island Park as evidently the only visitor in a group of hundreds who could play the hymns (or was willing to), on my mission (where I had another jinx and simply could not play Called to Serve without messing up - one time my mission president's wife even looked over at me with incredulity wondering how anyone could mess up so much), for work seminars (had the great privelege to play the piano and the organ for apostles and prophets), and at grandparents funerals...when I finished playing How Great Thou Art at my Grandma's funeral, Grandpa got up out of the audience and walked over to the piano to hug me...one of my most cherished memories.

Who would have thought it? Well, my Mom and Dad did. Dad knew what he was doing with that challenge and Mom had envisioned her musical children long ago. Ok, ok - I forgive you for ripping me out of ballet. It was definitely worth it.

#13 on my list of Favorite Things is PLAYING HYMNS.