i am sitting here listening to my daughter play the flute. she has only been playing it for a couple of weeks but it sounds beautiful. there are numerous instuments laying about the house. at the moment, from where i am sitting, i can see a flute, a clarinet, a trombone, and a bass clarinet. let's not overlook the dozens of pages of sheet music strewn about. (she will argue that they are not "strewn", just laid about in an order that only she can understand.) yeah right.

i wonder. what would it be like to pick up a new instrument and just start playing it? and how do you just know how to read music without anyone ever showing you how? i don't know. either does she. wow. i am always flooded with different feelings when i hear her play. joy (what a beautiful sound.) pride (that's my kid!) amazement (how does she do that?) envy (just a little tiny bit.) annoyance (when i send her upstairs for laundry and hear the clarinet.)

she turned 13 today. wow. it's pretty important to her that she is now a teenager. pretty scary for her mom. she is a good girl, though. i just need to keep my ears and eyes open a little more. i think we will be okay. i know she will be happy when she opens her gifts tonight. we got her a guitar. ssshhh...she doen't know yet! she is going to flip! we just might qualify for parents of the year after this.