Sing

Yesterday we got the news that Aly and Avery will be in the high schools spring musical Beauty and the Beast. Avery won a part as an extra and is excited that she will be in several scenes and Aly…well, Aly will be Belle. She is over the moon thrilled and she is in a small state of shock. You see, she was convinced that she did not have what it takes to make this part work and she had a meltdown the night before auditions began. The amazing thing is that no matter what her successes, she is always convinced that she does not have what it takes for the next step. Hmmmm…I wonder where that comes from?

Here is some back story. When I was younger I dreamed of being a professional singer. I even remember being very young and my Mom saying something about my voice and suggesting that she might call a friend that was a singer to work with me on building my voice, but (BIG SHOCK) that never happened. When I was in high school (just as a side note I went to East High School, this was the school they featured in the movie High School Musical) in Salt Lake City, Utah I auditioned and won a place in the high school Acapella choir as well as a spot in an all girls Ensemble group. This was the highlight of my life at that point.

Once out of school, I auditioned to sing with a guitarist at a coffee house and was told my voice was too trained and would not work with the folksy style he was working towards. I was devastated and never stepped up to put myself out there again. I took that one moment and turned into a belief that I was no good at singing. I did however spend a lot of time singing and dancing with all of my girls when they were little and even as they grew older. Music has always been a focus in our lives.

So here I was faced with another opportunity to encourage (more like push and shove…there may have been a shout or two) another one of my daughters to step outside her negative beliefs about herself and go for it. The hard part is I am jealous of my kids. I am jealous that they have someone who believes in them so much that she will rock'um/sock'um into moving forward into the people they should be. I cannot help but wish that I had the same kind of support system growing up. One small thing keeps me from letting it tear me up inside, that is, my life.
If everything had been different for me, I might never have ended up here with three wonderful girls that fill my heart every day. If my life and my life experience can help my three beautiful daughters fulfill themselves then I have no complaints. If my life experience can be the catalyst to their personal best then it is a win/win for all of us.

The next two months will be a whirlwind of rehearsals and preparations for the upcoming musical and I am certain that I will be called upon again to prop up and sometimes push my daughters and I am up for the challenge. When all is said and done I will know that I left no stone unturned in setting them on life's path with all the love and support they needed. That makes my heart sing.