First of all, I have to let you know how remarkable I think my neighborhood is. So many truly talented women live within blocks of my house. Just to give you a small idea of how incredible these ladies really are, I’m going to give you a simple run-down of some facts regarding my album (by the way, have you heard it yet?!!). Of the 30 women that took part in one or all of the choirs, 20 of them live less than a mile away from me. Five of them live close by in other little Utah towns, and the other five attend BYU. ALL of the soloists, including our lovely flautist, live within easy walking distance of my home. What’s arguably the most amazing thing about all of this is that prior to this project, I actually didn’t know over half of them. That’s right, they all live THIS close to me, and I didn’t know their names or their voices very well. It was purely guidance from heaven that led me to each one of them, and for that marvelous gift, I will be forever grateful.
Now let’s consider our stake Women’s Conference for a moment… Many of these same women also performed as a part of this program. But in addition to these fabulous sisters, 30 + more joined our ranks (again, all living right here in this relatively small geographical area of our town). So with more than 50 sisters by my side, we presented the program that I’ve titled “Daughters in His Kingdom” for the Relief Society sisters and young women of our stake. I promised you in my last post that I’d let you know how things went. Well, it was fantastic. Amazing. Beautiful. Inspiring. Motivating. Joyful. And I wouldn’t have changed a single thing. (And for those of you who know what a perfectionist I am, that’s saying quite a bit.) We were unified as a choir and as sisters in a common cause. The powerful spirit that these wonderful women brought with them felt almost tangible to all in attendance. Who knew that this much talent and beauty was waiting just steps from my front door? I’ll tell you who knew. God. Yes, He knew that these women would bless my life, and He led me to them. In fact, He knows all of us, and He knows what we are capable of. He knows the power that we possess to lift, to love and to build those around us.
And that, dear reader, is the point of this post. I lived here five years before I began to discover how truly wonderful my neighborhood is. Even greater than this discovery is the fact that I’m still meeting EVEN MORE fantastic folks as this journey progresses. So, maybe take a look around where you live. Do you know what talent resides across the street or a few houses down from your home? Have you seen the greatness of your neighbors and friends? If not, now might be a great time to open your eyes to the beauty that’s likely only steps away from where you are. After all, it’s better late than never.