This morning my oldest daughter left for New York City!  She and 9 of her college classmates were invited to perform one of their dance pieces at the Joyce Theater. So exciting!! This is an incredible accomplishment and huge honor! They will be performing a dance that was choreographed by one of the founders of Complexions, a professional contemporary ballet company. A few months ago, the founder of Complexions came to my daughter’s college and held a 9 hour audition and selected 10 dancers for this  22 minute piece.  Five boys and five girls.  My daughter is the only freshman in the piece!  Again, I say, what an accomplishment!! The Joyce Theater is home to Complexions, and this week they begin their ‘tour’ and these very talented young dancers will be there to share and be a part of this amazing experience.

I am so very proud of my daughter!  She is extremely talented and has an incredible future in store with her ‘gift of dance’. She began dancing at 2 1/2 and her feet haven’t touched the ground since! She is full of beauty, grace, and her technique is astounding!  I own bragging rights to her too haha!! What’s even more special and makes me more proud, are the gifts she stores in her heart. She has such a loving heart, a kind and gentle personality, a deep affection for Christ, and aside from my husband she is the most loyal person I know. Her beauty and grace go much beyond what she displays on stage.  Needless to say I could go on and on!!

This photo was taken as part of my daughter’s senior pictures.  We wanted to incorporate her love of dance into her pictures.  I made this outfit especially for this particular setting. Something soft and flowy, yet simple and pure. A true resemblance of her heart and personality. She and I went back after our photographer finished to capture a few pictures with the setting sun.  I’m so glad we went back, the sky was gorgeous! I think this photo displays her beauty and grace so wonderfully! ♥

I share this with you because we all have gifts. Your gift may not be (and neither is mine) in the form of a talent  such as my daughters. Even though I sometimes secretly pretend when I am watching her perform that it is actually me on that stage haha,  I know that’s as close as I will ever come to ‘displaying’ that kind of talent ☺. Many people have talents, but it’s when these talents turn into gifts that they become valuable. Gifts come from the heart. What I mean is you can have all the talent in the world and not use it in a way that blesses people. True gifts are exactly that, a way to bring a blessing to someone. We all have talents, gifts. We all have a way of being a blessing. Perhaps you are an incredible teacher, or a really great cook. Maybe you are an attentive listener, or handy person. You might also be the kind of person that is always helping or lending a hand. I assure you have a gift! If you aren’t sure what your gifts are, just ask those who are close to and they will be happy to point out your gifts ☺ I say gifts because you are certain to have more than one amazing quality, one amazing gift that makes you special!

A few months ago when my daughter was in the hospital, actually the night she was admitted, a lot of our friends and family came to visit us. The next morning surgery was scheduled and it was such a comfort having all our loved ones around beforehand.  As everyone was leaving and saying their good-byes, my aunt announced to me that she would be ‘just down the hall’ if we needed her during the night (my husband and I stayed the night). I tried my best to convince her that she should go home. Sitting in a chair all night wasn’t going to offer much rest, not to mention it would be terrible for her bad back. She insisted on staying. There was no convincing her otherwise! So we settled in for the night as best as we could. As you can imagine, my night was restless. So much on my mind as we were facing this major surgery the next morning.  Around 3 am I decided to go sit with my aunt.  In the stillness and quietness of that hall, she talked with me, held me as I cried, and comforted me in more ways than one. As I sit here now, typing this with tears streaming down my face, I can’t begin to describe how grateful I am for my aunt and her constant love. One of her gifts has ALWAYS been her ability to offer support. She has displayed unconditional love and support in my life and the lives of her family more times than I can count. That night in the hospital she made herself available, expecting nothing in return.  What a special gift to have! I can say also, she is smarter than me too because she knew what a struggle that night might be and wanted to be there…just in case.  A true demonstration of love and support! I love you Aunt J ❤️

Don’t ever underestimate the power of your gifts. I am certain that you will bless many by sharing them!

Blessings!