Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Giving Thanks Again

I just went back and re-read my list from last year about what I was thankful for.  I'm still thankful for all of that, but I want to be more specific this year.

My Super Cool Kid:  I'm continually amazed at her creativity and the stuff she comes up with.  I'm also continually overwhelmed by how quickly she absorbs information and is looking for a fresh source of it. Both of these ideas manifest themselves in just about every aspect of her life.

I'm thankful that she's finally settling into "her things".  Music is definitely her biggest thing, which I know is unsurprising given that she's been hearing me sing/play the piano/make some kind of music since she was in the womb.  I love to watch her learn how to play the piano.  I love to watch her learn a new rhythm when we drum.  I am a super-proud mama watching her sing and chime at church.  I love watching her connect musical concepts to other things -- today, was the rhythm of poetry.  In fact, today, she became inspired to set a poem we studied to music.  This is a project she wants to start in earnest with me next week.

I'm thankful that she's taking a more active role in finding new resources for information.  She's starting to tell me what she wants to learn and how she wants to do it.  I still get a say in the process (for now), but I'm thankful that she's giving me lots of direction.  This has subsequently made school much easier because it's something that we both look forward to doing most days.

I'm thankful for her friends.  While all of us home schooling parents know that lack of socialization for our kids is a myth, it's still nice knowing that she has a great (and expansive) group of friends.  I've watched her blossom over the last year into a bit of a social engineer.  She has turned into the kid that tries to include everyone.  She quickly figures out someone's strengths and plays to that so they feel comfortable.  I'm amazed that she can do this at six when many adults fail at this miserably.

My Patient Husband:  Between home schooling, teaching voice/music classes, and performances, I pull a 50 - 60 hour weeks most weeks.  I am thankful that he's supportive (and helpful) on the home school front and understanding on the work front.  I am also thankful that even though he's busy between his job and whatever projects he's into, he still manages to pick up quite a bit of the slack.

My Growing Studio:  This year, I'm the busiest that I've ever been.  My voice student had a huge influx of new students over the summer and has been steadily growing since.  I'm thankful to see my business grow even though economic times aren't the best.

I'm also thankful for my students.  They continually challenge me.  The old saying says that you learn when you start to teach.  This is absolutely true.  I'm a better singer than I was before I started teaching.  I have a huge bag of tricks and ways to teach my students various concepts.  All the time spent at the piano with my students has bettered my keyboard skills to the point that I'm less uncomfortable playing in front of an audience.  But what I'm most thankful for is that I really like all of my students.  I don't have any crazies.  Whether they admit or not, I think they all want to be there for their lesson and are enjoying the process.

My Friends:  I have the coolest friends.  You know who you are.  Some of you I see all the time.  Some of you I wish I could see more often but schedules or distance makes that a challenge.   Some of you I see on Facebook and that's it.  I am thankful that I'm connected to you however I am and I am thankful for the laughs and conversation and the support and stability.

As I sit down to my Tofurkey dinner, I look forward to giving thanks for the huge bounty good stuff in my life.