“A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.” (Proverbs 18:16 NKJV)
“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.” (1 Peter 5:6 NLT)
“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” (Proverbs 14:23 NIV)
The year is 1977-78.
The place is Napoleon High School.
The setting is the MacDonald’s All-American High School Band.
For the first three years of my High School experience I spent many hours dedicated to developing my musical and speaking abilities. I would spend hour after hour either in a practice room with my trombone or in the library researching debate topics and gathering evidence. Most weekends were filled with honors bands, solo and ensemble competition, debate tournaments, or public speaking (Forensics) competitions.
All of this hard work paid off as I was selected as 1 of the 2 students in Michigan to perform in the 1978 McDonald’s All-American High School Band. This band consisted of 102 of the top high school band students in the United States (2 per State plus the District of Columbia). What a thrill! I was blessed with the opportunity to perform at Concert Hall in Chicago. We marched in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. We also participated in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena California. Great times!
As fantastic as these experiences were, they came with a cost. As I began receiving the recognition for my hard work my head began to grow at an accelerated rate. I quickly began to see myself as “better” than those around me. I had an attitude that even a mother could not love. I thought I had arrived at greatness and stopped doing the things that had brought me to this point in history. I stopped going to the library. I stopped spending time in the practice rooms. I thought I could now ride on my success without any more dedication or effort. Boy was I wrong!
I’ll pick this up tomorrow.