"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves."

-written by the great William Shakespeare

As I was driving my son to Manhattan yesterday I started thinking that everything was in order, he had everything he needed, he ate, he was feeling OK, we were on time, I started to reflect on what was about to happen. I turned to look at him asking him a question when I realized in our rush to be ready, I hadn't noticed how he had changed-he was now suddenly so different. What happened to my son? Who was this young man sitting in the back seat? It made me think of the time my sister-in-law came to visit & she referred to him as beautiful boy. I was so touched by her affection much in the same way I was touched by his presence now sitting in the back seat with his suit jacket on, his red bow tie, his green scarf & dapper hat. It was almost startling seeing him- as if for the first time in this way. It felt like a perfect awareness of a moment in time.

When I got to the toll booth I blurted out to the attendant, "My son is playing his violin at Carnegie Hall." As I waited for my change, staring at the smiling man & feeling very choked up, he looked at me & said, "You must be very proud." "I am." I responded feeling as if I would cry if I continued to speak.
Then with a kind voice he told me to watch the road because it's very slippery out today.

I remember when my son was 5 years old my childhood friend suggested I take him to Suzuki lessons for the violin. My son loved his teacher from the moment she started teaching him & now her son teaches him to play the violin.

When we got to the parking garage near Carnegie Hall my son warned me not to tell the parking attendant that he was playing his violin at Carnegie Hall.
I wish I could describe to you exactly how I felt dropping him off & then coming back later to see him perform. Mostly it was disbelief like, "How did this happen?, Am I really where I think I am? Then it was awe as I watched him play with his fellow musicians from my seat along with an entire Carnegie Hall filled with people. When they finished their two Tangos, the crowd went wild. As he left the stage, my son flashed the peace sign-he later told us that was for us, his family.