Inspiration from a Student

Sometimes life reminds you in hard ways that there are things much more important than piano.  I recently had one of those reminders.  One of my former piano students was in a major car accident about a week ago.  Morgan is a vivacious, optimistic, faith filled girl whom I had also trusted as the babysitter of our children. I was impressed that she wanted lessons badly enough as a teenager, she was willing to earn half of the money to pay for them.  She always showed up with a smile.  
A few weeks ago as she was commuting from her college town to home, she apparently fell asleep at the wheel, drifted off the highway, rolled the car a couple of times and was ejected from the vehicle and sustained multiple injuries. 
As I read her family's accounts of her progress each day, I am reminded of the power of faith, prayer, hope and gratitude. 
One night last week, after a long day packed with little disappointments - a frustrating shopping trip, a forgotten birthday party, a less than stellar performance from my children at piano festival - I read her father's account of the events of his day.  When he went to claim her belongings from the demolished car, his first glance over revealed a messy pile of papers and bags revealed this touching message from his daughter.

Have I seen His Hand in my life today?

It comes from one of my favorite messages that was given by a leader from our church several years ago on the topic of gratitude. (  Elder Henry B. Eyring  "O Remember Remember.")
  Evidently Morgan took his counsel to heart to reflect and remember how God has blessed her, and in turn she blessed her father ( and me).  Her message caused him to reflect on the miracle that an ambulance in transfer just happened to be passing by the scene of the accident moments after it occurred so that his daughter could receive medical care immediately.

 Elder Eyring said "As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done."

This is an area that I need to work on.  Reading of Morgan's challenges and recovery each day has been a gentle reminder to me that the stresses of relative insignificance in my life (children's messes, failed shopping trips, forgotten parties, unpolished piano pieces, etc.) can be swept away if I take time to be more grateful and follow Elder Eyring's counsel to 

 "..Ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?”

I have so much to be grateful for!