Trying To Find The Calm

Today is one of those harried days. 

When I feel we are rushing around here and there and here again. 

Why do so many things have to happen in December?  

I feel frazzled and I'm hungry (did I miss lunch?) and I'm tired. 

We have a dance performance tonight.

There's a rehearsal this afternoon.

I'm sitting in a balcony at the Masonic Temple watching a rehearsal that I was not supposed to see. 

NO PARENTS AT REHEARSAL they said. 

Well, I'm sitting. 

Because I'm tired. 

Tired of running everywhere. 

My six year old has the flu and I'm tired from watching her be tired. 

She's missing her dance performance tonight because of her feverish little body. 

Before we came to this rehearsal we had a rehearsal for Tuesday's piano recital. 

I hated to rush out of that to get to the dance rehearsal.

I love (with a capital L!) listening to young kids play their instruments. 

Piano, violin, sometimes a trumpet, singers. 

Zoe has been playing piano here for 3 1/2 years. 

So I sat in the back. 

Ready to rush out to get to the next thing. 

And she played her two pieces. 

Home on the Range was first. 

Followed by Silent Night. 

And I got the chills.

From the song. 

From the lyrics. 

All is calm. 

All is bright. 

And I could feel it seep into me. 

And I saw my brave and resilient girl up on the stage doing something she works hard at. 

Something that makes her calm. 

And I got tears in my eyes. 

Because she's my calm. 

She's my bright. 

And then we had to quickly go...