“Whenever I listen to a children’s orchestra, I learn. They feel everything, they enjoy everything, they have amazing energy.”

Gustavo Dudamel

The “main event” for this Florida trip was our granddaughter’s wonderful end-of-the-year concert, playing cello with the middle school orchestra.

I’m sure we have all experienced performances from this age group, sometimes stretching our definition of “music” to the limit. But this group of young musicians played beautifully and all four ensembles did an exceptional job.

So huge kudos to their maestro teacher and the orchestra program.

What communicates most is the energy and the passion. Beks not only enjoys playing the cello, she loves to practice and she appreciates the process of being in an orchestra and playing together.

I can’t stress the importance of the arts in education enough. Children need exposure to and encouragement in exploring creativity just as much as they need reading, writing and math.

People sometimes ask about my experience working in child development, and “what are the key indicators of intelligence?” I always point to curiosity first – and curiosity can be stimulated in many ways, especially when music and art and creative imagination are key elements of the curriculum.

Naomi’s Apartment:

After the concert, Rebekah and I swung by our daughter Naomi’s apartment to see how she is settling into her new home.

The space has completely transformed since Naomi moved in and her unique style and personality are beginning to define the space as her own.

Starting over is never easy, but we are confident that our daughter has the resources and the ability to make things work. It’s all about consistent good decisions, taking responsibility, making difficult choices and working hard.

All that, plus engaging the most effective – and neglected – resource we all have, which is following Jesus every day.

“Everything is possible,” Jesus says, “for the person who believes.”

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for the person who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:23-24