Have I hidden my talents?

This weeks Sunday School lesson on the parables - The Ten Virgins, the Talents, and the sheep and the goats has made me very thoughtful and has had me looking back over my life several times. As I have been thinking about what personal experiences to share or not share several have come to mind at different times based on what part of the lesson I was focusing on.

Although I did post a comment about this very thing on my friend Mona's blog I don't think I have posted about it on my blog.

Growing up my family has always been a musical family, I've played the violin for years, was a member of the Murray Utah Symphony as an adult etc... but my love is singing. I started taking lessons late in High School but made up for lost time quickly because the talent was natural and inherited from my mother!!

So everyone was surprised when I went to College at BYU and instead of majoring with my violin I was Majoring in Music with my voice! Even all my professors said, you played the violin so long and your majoring in singing??? Until they heard me sing! My Major was Music Education. My first Jury my freshman year on my critique all of the professors said, "She should be a Music Performance Major". Which was a huge compliment and in fact at my 2nd Jury my second semester, this Jury all commented on that as well and asked why I hadn't changed my major.

But by then I had fallen in love and was about to get married that summer! And even though I had always dreamed of being a Young Ambassador at BYU, I was happy to be getting married and starting my eternal family.

I have spent many years in Primary as the chorister (15 to be exact not all in one place or all at one time but 15) helping children to love music as much as I do and I will say that there is nothing sweeter than hearing enthusiastic voices sing the beautiful, testimony building songs of primary. I've directed our Church Choir, sang in the church choirs everywhere we have lived. I've sung in the nursery at our church with the 18 month -2 yr olds. I've been the soloist for the City of Murray "Messiah Sing-In" I have performed at Pioneer Valley Playhouse on stage in Musicals, I've sung at weddings and funerals and have loved being asked by those I love and some I don't know but have heard of my talent.

I've seen other of my friends travel with professional choirs to sing at Carnegie Hall, or be in performing groups that perform for a living. Some friends have even sang on the stage in Musicals professionally! And while I will admit that I'm human and once in a while wonder what have I done with my talent.......

All I have to do is look into the eyes of my 26 y/o disabled daughter Aileen and know that I have sung for angels and my Heavenly Father......every morning when I wake up my Leeny to a medley of songs that I have sung to her since she was born, all I have to do is look in her eyes and see that I am giving the most important audience of my life happiness and joy each day as we start the new day!!!

I love being Aileen's mother! I love singing songs of praise and joy for Aileen who cannot sing out loud but I know sings in her heart! And I do know that even though others may say...."I have wasted my talent...............those who truly know me, i.e. my Savior and Heavenly Father, know that I have done the most with my talent!!! That I have doubled, tripled, my most important talent, that of being a mother! A mother who is helping her family return to a loving Heavenly Father!

And the human mother in me cannot wait until the next life or the Saviors coming to hear my sweet Aileen sing....because I know it is a beautiful voice!