Wednesday was Sarah's spring concert, the last of many concerts we attended this year. This was the first concert since Emma's death that I was able to enjoy, because at this concert I felt Emma's presence, much more than her absence. The signs were all around. The programs were purple, her favorite color, and featured a butterfly on the back cover. As soon as I entered the auditorium, I saw one of Emma's friends who had come to see another friend's sister perfom. Both friends joined us and I got a chance to catch up with them. The last time I has seen them was at Emma's dedication ceremony a week earlier and we were all struggling that day. This time, sitting next to each other and chatting about life, we got to reaffirm that gift of connection that Emma gave us. It was nice.
Before the program started they presented some awards and Sarah received one of the two choral awards. In a year that most kids would have retreated into the background, Sarah has chosen to step out of the shadows. She has performed solos and had a lead role in the school's musical. Emma would have been really proud of her. She thought Sarah was a really talented singer and wanted to see her out in front. She definitely would have been smiling on Wednesday night.
The musical program that followed was packed with performances by talented, multi-instrument playing student musicians and Emma would have been so excited to see them featured. The choral program also seemed Emma-picked. It featured a Michael Jackson song (Emma was a rabid Michael Jackson fan. I think that he was at least part of the inspiration behind the fedoras she often wore) and a song that Emma had sung at her 8th grade spring concert. What was notable about that particular piece was that it featured a flute accompaniment that Emma had played. At Sarah's concert, the accompaniment was played by the school's flute teacher, but it immediately brought back the aural memory of Emma playing it. The song was African, but the flute part was jazzy and free. I think that learning and playing that part fueled Emma's interest in jazz which she went to vigorously pursue in high school. And hearing it also reminded me of Emma's incredible talent. She played that flute part every bit as expressively and flawlessly as the teacher did and she only got better from there.
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