Blogging Buffet: V is for Violin and Vision

The theme of my A to Z Challenge posts this year is "Blogging Buffet." In celebration of recently posting my 1000th blog post, I am revisiting posts from the past.  This post originally published on August 17, 2011.  

Last night, my mom and I watched a violin concert by Jenny Oaks Baker. (www.jennyoaksbaker.com) Wow!  She performed in the puffy princess dress--minus the gloves, of course.  Beautiful arrangements of Disney songs comprised the entire concert.  Her three young daughters even played one piece, an arrangement of "It's a Small World" for piano, violin, and cello. 

The evening truly was magical.  Though the concert hall held hundreds of audience members, the setting felt intimate.  Jenny's personality came through with some off-hand remarks.  After the concert, as she was signing CDs, she asked if her remarks had spoiled the princess magic.  I assured her that they had not. 

Personally, I love being reminded that those we admire or look up to are real people.  I don't mean in the gossip tabloid sort of way, but rather in the hopes, dreams, and humor sort of way.  Jenny was relieved after her girls performed well.  She asked for our prayers before performing a particularly demanding piece.  By allowing us a glimpse into her personality, she reminded me that not only is she an incredibly talented musician, she is a real person.

Not only that, I am a real person, too.  One of the overriding themes I am getting from Education Week is that we are all children of our Heavenly Father, we shouldn't be afraid to just be ourselves, we all make mistakes (so don't be judgmental!), and the Atonement is in place for each one of us.  Somehow, the concert last night reminded me further of those truths.