Two Down, One to Go

I took these on my way home from Cedar City today. I would gush about the soul-crushing beauty, but a picture is worth a thousand words, so look all you want. I was accepted into the music program, and highly encouraged by Dr. Gliadkovsky at my audition today, and am now breathing a sigh of relief as I crawl into bed after a very long day. Just one more performance to go, and the only thing at stake now is my pride, which I have to admit is going to take the front seat. I have never felt on top of the world like this before. Ever the cynic, I know there are going to be rough times ahead. It's not as though I've already come through the Valley of the Shadow and am now being rewarded, it's more like my life has been a steady build-up to this point, and I'm not sure how much longer I can enjoy this kind of purpose and beauty before it all comes crashing down around me. That happened to Joni Eareckson Tada, and Corrie Ten Boom, and Anne Frank, and Jim Elliot. I am simply not ready for a catastophe. I have only just begun, and am most certainly not the person I want to be yet, and in my mind I'm thinking that maybe if I try hard enough on my own, I won't need a tragedy to teach me some life lesson about patience or endurance or love. But I know it's coming. I just hope I'm a better pianist before I lose my hands or something. That said, I am not living in fear, just trying to get the most out of this Amazing part of life, and I know that whatever comes my way will not be more than I can bear.