Gratitude

I'm grateful for a lot of things.

Among those are:

• Grateful that mum brought me for piano tuition classes since I was 6 or 7 years old
• Grateful that despite wanting so bad to quit learning piano when I was about 9, mum encouraged me to keep practising and trying out new piano teachers
• Grateful for my last and most memorable piano teacher, Mrs Chen :)
• Grateful for her patience, her dedication in teaching me how to LOVE playing and not just learn the pieces for exams, how she went to my 7th grade practical exam with me, and how she comforted me after I freaked out and cried after the exam (which I passed, hehe).

Because of all those, I have the opportunity and courage to play in front of 500-1000 people last night. Not just to perform, but to lead people in praise and worship and bridge that gap. I can't possibly describe what an amazing feeling that is: to work together in a band, playing our individual instruments but creating that perfect sound, adrenaline pumping while looking down at hundreds of people in the audience, spotlights shining down... you get the picture.

All the hours of practising when I was younger seems worth it now. The hours practising as a band before the event, 3 hours of soundchecking (the longest I'd ever been in), not having time to for proper dinner (coffee and a slice of cake), the nerves and ahem 'wanting-to-go-toilet-so-bad' feeling were all nothing compared to the outcome. For that, I am GRATEFUL.

So thank you, Jo, for asking me be part of the music team for the Resurrection event (Easter) organised by the combined churches of Dunedin. There's just no better way of knowing and playing with all the talented musicians in other churches in the city. And thank you, God, for overseeing all the decisions and events leading up to today that have allowed me to keep playing :)