Piano teacher? :)

Today was my last day of teaching piano!  Like every other "last" in my life happening, it is very bittersweet to know that I will no longer be teaching my piano students.  However, today was a cool day of reflecting on how my piano teaching career came about as I said goodbye to my last student.

How DID I start teaching piano?  Believe it or not, I actually never sought to be a piano teacher.  It all started when a neighbor friend asked me if I taught piano.  My first response was "Oh..uh...well I stopped taking piano lessons about three years ago, but I do still love to play for fun.  I don't know how good I would be, but I could give it a shot!".  After that, I began teaching that neighbor's daughter.  Once people heard that I was teaching that one student, I began receiving calls from other neighbors asking if I could teach their kids.  Who would've thought?!  I certainly never imagined myself to be a piano teacher!  The rest is history.  I began a small "piano studio" on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.  Funny thing is, it turned into such a normal after school activity that I never really stopped to think about how much of a God thing it was that I became a piano teacher!  Why?  First of all: being a piano teacher was never an intention of mine... it just came to me.  Second of all: it gave me an opportunity to build relationships with my students and tell them about my love for God.  Third of all: I never would have known how much I love teaching if I wasn't a piano teacher!  Fourth of all: my love for kids and teaching them grew so much through being able to teach and build those relationships.  Fifth of all(and of course, the least important): it was a little way to make some money! ;)  

Looking back, I see God written all over my piano teaching career.  It seems like He gave me this opportunity to provide for me a learning experience, a way to use my gifts in playing piano, discover my gift of teaching and a way to be used by Him in my student's lives.  For that, I am forever grateful!  

It's so cool for me to close my piano studio in FC by looking back and seeing how God literally blessed me with this wonderful opportunity.  I hope and pray that God will bless me with other piano teaching opportunities wherever I go next, if it is His will!

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

Here is a picture of one of my dear piano students and I after our last lesson.  I'm going to miss her!