Monday, March 1, 2010

Lenten Series #12: Special Talent


I wanted to use something fun to talk about today.  So I decided to pick a card from the “TableTopics” Icebreaker game I have in my office. I randomly use these to open my staff meetings.  The question I pulled out randomly was… 
“What one special talent would you like to have?”

This was a no brainer and very quick for me to answer. I would love to be able to sit at a piano and just play it like nobodies business!  I am amazed at those with that gift. My uncle and so many family friends that are musicians have this talent. You just start singing and they can “pick you up”. Even if your singing in 3 different keys, they can make you sound goods and help you find your way.  

I grew up in a musically gifted family. Almost everyone sings or plays an instrument (even those who married into the family). Everyone knows that I love to sing.  If you think I can sing you have not met my family, especially my mom and my two sisters.  My entire family did a musical tribute in 1996. I have listened to it every now and then, reminiscing; both my grandmother and great grandmother were alive, as well as Dr. Nathan M. Carter, who produced the performance.

Reminiscing… I took a few years singing lessons in middle school. Now that I think about it I also took piano lessons.  I enjoyed the voice lessons, but the theory and piano lessons were not fun for me.  I was part of the School of Music at my church.  We had extremely great professors. World-class, if I might say so!! But at that age, I wanted to be part of political action and social activism; and therefore became extremely involved in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). However, I was on scholarship at the school of music. Even still, I kept being absent, not from my practices, but the Saturday activities which included theory and chorus (both mandatory). The dean of the school finally had it with me, and told my mom that I had to choose, NAACP or Music. Well for those who know me, you know the choice I made (and am grateful that my mom let me make the choice). I choose the NAACP!   

I knew God blessed me with the precious gift of music, and my voice itself is a gift that I cherish. Music is in me, I can’t get rid of it (CUZ IT IS IN MY BONES!!) and it continues to follow me even today. And for that I am grateful. What the school leaders did not know or realize was that God always had a song in my heart and that wasn’t going anywhere. I was looking to sing, but not to make a career out of it.

At times, I wish I would have stayed with practicing the piano. But then again, I don’t believe I would be the person I am today without making that sacrifice. I was able to hone my leadership skills through the NAACP, I had spare time so I was able to get involved in leadership in my high school.  I did well in my math and science classes and was offered to be a Meyerhoff Scholar at UMBC. I became involved in student leadership, and was always in somebody’s choir!  And the rest is living history!!

I would love to have the gift of being a pianist. And it is never too late to learn. So maybe I will invest in a keyboard in 2010, and try again!! To be honest, I think this is God’s way of keeping me humbled. I have the deep feeling that if I had this gift, to be able to play by ear and by reading music, that I would more than likely not be here in Iowa! Hey, I am just keeping it real!


Peace, Love, and Prosperity,
RevMAH

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