A proud parent moment

I should probably apologize to you, because I make regular readers of this blog endure a fair amount of proud parent commentary, but I couldn't resist this one. So, if you don't want to hear about my kids, stop reading now.

Tonight, the school orchestra in which Sarah and Scott both play violin held a concert. I quite enjoyed the music. What I enjoyed even more, though, was the predictable thing: watching my kids perform.

They continually amaze me. I love music, but I have no musical talent. They both are loaded with it. They can have entire conversations about music that I can barely follow, and I'm very happy they can. I had always wanted to learn the guitar, but at this point I sincerely doubt I will ever make the time. I'm glad they are both such good musicians, not for my sake, but for theirs: the ability to play music is a wondrous gift.

In this admittedly rather crappy photo, which I took from my iPhone and a fair distance after having forgotten to bring in my camera, you can make out the figures but not the faces of the orchestra. To the left of the conductor (all directions as you look at the picture) is the first violinist, Sarah. Two chairs to the left is the fifth violinist, Scott. (With his tux tonight, he wore brown socks with blue skulls on them. Though I gave him grief about it and will in the future loan him some appropriate black socks, I also have to admit it was an awesome move.)

Watching Scott and Sarah perform is a treat I will greatly miss when they have both graduated and moved on to college. I know it's traditional for parents to gripe about the school concerts, and I've done my share of similar complaining, but the completely honest, totally sentimentalist truth is that I love these shows, I love the passion of the young musicians--even those I don't know, I love seeing art come to life, I love watching Sarah and Scott perform, and most of all, I love them.