Allie's Public Piano Debut

Allie and I were working on her Faith in God booklet a few weeks ago and made a one-page summary of the things she needed to do this year before she went in Young Women's.  We love Faith in God because it is a wonderful program and a nice lead-in to Personal Progress!  One of the things she wanted to do under "Developing Talents" was to learn and play a song in Sacrament Meeting.  She was already asked a month ago if she could play in the Primary Program, which she gladly agreed to do.  I thought she was going to count that as one of her activities, so I was surprised when she came up to me and asked me to call our ward music director to see about playing in Sacrament Meeting.  She kept bugging me about it all day so I finally sent out an email to volunteer a musical number.

Then our ward music person, Anna, asked if she could play the next week.  Only one week and a half of preparation.  I asked Allie if she was up for the challenge and she said YES.

She loves all of Paul Cardall's music so this one she loved playing at home.  She decided to play Redeemer, which is my favorite hymn of all time. The arrangement is so beautiful!  Kevin took her to church to practice on the grand piano once on Wednesday then went to church an hour early to practice on Sunday.  There were no programs available on Sunday so no one had any idea she was playing.  I was probably way more nervous than her, especially after her theater disappointment the day before (more about that later).  And I prayed hard that she would be calm and focused.

(Allie after Church with her sheet music)

When it was her turn to go up, she calmly walked up to the front and sat down at the piano.
Then beautiful music flowed out of that piano and filled the air with the Spirit.
It was so pretty and she played it perfectly.

I certainly felt much "mother-pride" in my heart for her and her amazing talent, and if you're a parent, you know what I am talking about.  She later told me that she was nervous the whole time before she sat at the piano.  But as soon as she sat down to play, all of it went away.
Mid-song, many people wondered who was at the piano, and after finding out it was her, came up after Sacrament and complimented her.  She was acknowledged in Primary (where she also talked on modesty).  She was on cloud nine!  It was a wonderful first public debut on the piano.

If you haven't heard Paul Cardall's Redeemer, it sounds like this: