Talents

Cultivate your talents! That's what I've always been told my whole life. Well I've never taken that too heart, like at all. I've always been fairly decent at playing the cello and piano, with sewing and creative things too. I've never really practiced the cello and piano, and I haven't really cultivated any of the other talents that I've been blessed with. Well I got my face slapped this past week, repetitively. We had a lesson in Seminary on the Parable of the Talents. That was the first slap. The second slap came a few days later in Young Women's. Our lesson was on our Talents. OUCH! I got my face slapped on both sides.
Then today I was with some of my friends in our schools midi-lab. One of my friends was singing for us, since she had to perform the next class period. She did such a good job, she has been blessed with a fantastic voice. I also started to notice that she has been blessed with a lot of other talents. But I was a bit jealous, she was really good at all of her talents. As I thought more and more about this, I must admit, I got even more jealous. Then the thought hit me. She cultivates her talents. She practices her singing and piano, she does other things like photography as much as she can. She takes every chance she gets to practice and cultivate her talents. Then another thought hit me as loud as a screaming voice. "You need to begin to expand your talents like her." That voice was 100% true.
I then made a decision to begin to develop my talents even more. I sat down today for the first time in years and I played the piano for over a half an hour!! I never even did that when I took lessons! Sitting down and playing old piano pieces felt wonderful. The more I played the better I got, just sitting down for that much time and I started to play better. My mind was boggled. Then I realized I was given a gift by God. It's the gift of music.
I've always loved music, and it's always been a big part of my life. It's helped me calm down when I need it. I've felt the spirit so much with music. I've broken down listening to a song because it's the song I needed at that point in time. In my Patriarchal Blessing it talks about my talents. It's a brief little paragraph, but it specifically talks about music. Yup another slap. I have neglected my God given gift, and I haven't developed it at all. I realized that if I practiced more I would be able to develop that talent. Just playing my cello every B day and for lesson wasn't enough. I wasn't using my gift very well. Same goes for piano, just playing for Seminary or for Church wasn't enough. How could I develop a talent that I hardly use?
So, I have this new determination to practice every day. I know it'll be hard, and I hope for the life of myself that I will be able to always have this determination. So wish me Luck!

"Life is like a piano...what you get out of it, depends on how you play it."

"Life is like a piano, the whit keys represent happiness and the black show sadness. But as you go through life's journey, remember that the black keys also create music."

"Cause anytime something bad happens to you music's the one place you can escape to and just let it go."

~August Rush

"Love is like playing the piano. first, you must play by the rules, then you must forget the rules, and play from your heart."