Magic . . .

I don't want to be too sappy here but I have to get this out. Our lives are made up of moments. Short ones, long ones, the beautiful and the ugly. Moments that leave us breathless, moments that that leave us scarred . . . and moments that leave us irrepressively happy. These last kind are often the moments we often use during the particularly difficult moments that inevitably show up. I think of these as magic. They have the power to overcome all negative moments and pull us into a better place. By simply conjuring up these moments, it dispels unhappiness and the occasional bouts of depression for me. I try to keep a few of these moments on hand. Lately it seems I have been running out of magic ones and reusing the same old tired ones. Fortunately, I was able to replenish my supply this weekend.

I should say that one of those moments was my youngest child's first birthday. Its so hard to believe that she is a year old. She is so unbelievably intelligent and beautiful. Traits I know she received from her mother. I am constantly amazed at the abilities my children have to grow up at all, let alone become real people with their own personalities and talents. Seeing the passing of another birthday reaffirms how utterly honored I am to be allowed to share their parentage.

Most of the other moments I was able to put into my bag o' moments was a wonderful experience in the small town of American Fork, Utah. There is a small park there that has an amphitheater in it's center. This last weekend, it was the setting of the LDSmusicians.com music festival and concerts. I have the great fortune of being associated with the founder of the group, Brad Thompson, and participating in the events. Brad is an incredible guy with a heart of gold and the patience of Job with me sometimes. He started this group as a way to get other LDS musicians together and talk about their respective experiences as LDS musicians. From that beginning, a movement was created. People from all over the word have joined. Every year there has been a time and place set aside to meet other members of the group, give them a chance to perform for each other, and share in each other's company. I was unable to go last year but was able to bring my whole family this year. As usual, I was not disappointed.

I don't know if I have the ability to express the magic present there this year. There are some links that will take you to what others have said and also some pictures, but as beautifully worded and excellent as they all are, there really is no way to describe it. The group is made up of (for the most part) people like me--amateur wannabes, with "real jobs". All at various levels in their respective musical accomplishments. Some are very well-seasoned performers with years of experience. Some are just starting out and have very little experience, but all share the acceptance of a group dedicated to the making of music from the perspective of a Christ-centered life. We talked we laughed and we shared our various triumphs and frustrations with our respective careers. We let our emotions spill out in awe of the power music has to touch us. We met some brand-new old friends and caught up with some long-time old friends. We wondered at the amazing capabilities of our friends. We felt the encouragement and support of our peers. Mostly, however we were home. And it was Magic . . .


More to follow . . .