I love that Brooke still wants me to go places with her, even when her friends are there. Her primary was having a talent show and she asked if I would come and take pictures. Absolutely!! The girl's were so adorable. Many of them played the piano. I loved when one of them got up to play the piano and said, "I'm not as good as the rest of you because I just started and have only had three lessons." She then began to play a very simple piece on the piano for her more experienced friends. They all cheered her on and I was reminded that we all start somewhere sometime and she was not ashamed to share her beginning with them.
Another girl forgot it was talent show day and a friend said, "That's ok. You wear all my hand-me-downs and look great in them. That's talent." Where many girls could be embarrassed to have such a thing made public, she just quietly got up and went and sat by her like the sweet friend that she is.
Wouldn't it be nice as we grow older to keep that confidence? Somewhere between junior high and high school it can be knocked out of us. If it doesn't happen then, life provides plenty of opportunities to find people who are so much better than us at everything we try to do. I loved that the girls were cheering for each other the whole time.
In the words of one of my favorites:
"You wonderful sisters render compassionate service to others for reasons that supersede desires for personal benefits. In this you emulate the Savior, who, though a king, did not seek position, nor was He concerned about whether others noticed Him. He did not bother to compete with others. His thoughts were always tuned to help others. He taught, healed, conversed, and listened to others. He knew that greatness had little to do with outward signs of prosperity or position. He taught and lived by this doctrine: “He that is greatest among you shall be your servant.” Elder Uchtdorf
We are always going to run across those negative people that will tear down, and then there are those who say, keep trying, good job, I see so much improvement! It would be so great to tune into the supporters and tune the rest out. They're not nearly as important as they think they are!
There was a lot of talent in this room. These girls are making the world a better place!