Gratitude Post #...3?

OK, are y'all done crying over our last two posts? I know, we're kind of cheesy. Can I say after we read each other's posts we yelled out, "GROUP HUG!" And we embraced like the three best friends that we are. (Well, we did, but we were just kidding with it.)

So now let's post something else we're grateful for. I've been thinking about what I could post; the obvious choices-families, the Gospel, (and all that comes with it), this country, etc. ran through my head. But then I thought-MUSIC. I know what you're thinking. "Could you pick anything more obvious?" Once again, I'm asking you to indulge me. Just go along with it. Mmmm...K?

Many of my happy childhood memories are tied to music. When I was little, my sister and I would sit in the tub while my dad strummed on his guitar and sang "Sunshine on My Shoulders". (John Denver rocks my world.) We'd dance around the living room to any Beach Boy song that came on. Road trips were dedicated to The Judds and Collin Raye. Whenever I hear these artists, I'm immediately taken back to my childhood, sitting in front of my dad with his guitar. A smile is immediately brought to my face, because of music.

In middle school, I didn't WANT to be a singer. I thought only dorky people sang. (I know-I'm a titch dorky, so that would've made sense.) My mom insisted music was my forte, but I insisted on playing sports. (HUGE mistake. But that's another post!) After a particularly embarrassing tryout for the school's basketball team, I finally embraced the music world, and, by doing so, changed my life. My life has been changed because of music.

Music was the jump start to my testimony. And it keeps my testimony strong when it threatens to become weak. I distinctly remember sitting in my room as a teenager, pretending I was Jenny Jordan Frogley, as I sang along (and cried) to my EFY albums. Songs like I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus and I am a Child of God were empowering to me, even as a child. Janice Kapp Perry's Young Women albums were immediately bought and memorized the moment they were released. Music touched my heart like nothing else could. It still touches my heart like nothing else can. I owe my "conversion" to music.

And now, what can I say about music? It's our missionary tool. It bonds us together as a group. It connects us with people all over the world. And next to my family and the Gospel, it's one of the most important things in my life. So yes, an obvious choice. But worth the post, nonetheless.
XOXO