One of the things that makes me saddest about leaving Cedar Rapids is the fact that I cannot take my music students with me to Colorado. But I feel some consolation and closure upon being able to squeeze in some last-minute performances to showcase their progress before we move.
On Saturday three of my students participated in a short and bittersweet recital.
My friend Rachel accompanied me (one last time!) on a Schumann piece. I am going to miss her and her willingness to put together the piano and cello.
For my student who couldn't make it to the Saturday recital, we did a little in-home concert for his family. Even though he acted tortured by the whole experience, I think it was somewhat worthwhile for him--and more importantly, it meant a lot to his mother.
Perhaps I should mention: His mother is my hero--she is the person I called at 5:40 in the morning a few weeks ago when I realized I was going to have a baby. She came over just in time and took care of our other baby while Forest and I rushed to the hospital.
It is hard to say goodbye to all of these beautiful people, but I feel so privileged to have met them and shared a little bit of music with them.
Even after being in Colorado for one week now, it's still hard to believe that this really is our new home--not just the destination of a giant family excursion. Needless to say, it hasn't been all vacation all the time . . . we've had a tedious trek through Nebraska with whining children, broken appliances, a sick husband/daddy, and of course mountains of boxes to unpack. But, despite these realities, I think some part of me still thinks this has all been a dream, and that when I wake up I'll be back in the flatlands of the Midwest.
