Zachary played at Midland Center for the Arts and Temple Theatre. He’s in a beginning strings program. Lessons are held at Saginaw Arts and Science Academy (once a week for 3 hours). He was generously sponsored by his cello teacher, Jake. Many thanks to Jake for extending such kindness, so Zachary could participate in this wonderful program and experience. The Blue Lake Fine Arts International Youth Symphony (http://www.bluelake.org) played to benefit this program. Zachary’s strings group played in the lobby as the crowd gathered.

This is the stuff dreams are made of. It’s experiences like this that make me teary-eyed with happiness and gratitude. While I don’t have a music related experience to share, I can say that there have been people and incredible experiences in my life that have made a difference in who I am today. When it comes to the arts (or any passion, really), regardless of how confident you are, there’s still a very special kind of empowerment that comes from validation. And not just anyone can give you that gift. It comes from someone you respect and admire. If you’re lucky, it might happen several times in a lifetime or maybe only once. Sometimes you don’t even recognize it when it happens. It might be years later, when you look back, and are able to acknowledge the friends you had along the way, and know the impact they had on who you became.

It’s profound watching my son as he begins to paint his own canvas.

We are incredibly blessed to have met the people that are helping us to shape our children’s lives. I’m forever grateful.

Kindness spreads more kindness. It’s inevitably contagious.

Btw, Gabe took these photos.