My wife Bette and I live out in the country in Central Minnesota on a small body of water called Hermit Lake. Our English Tudor home sits high on a hill overlooking the quiet piece of water. The home has floor-to-ceiling windows that provide great views of nature, sunsets, and the changing seasons.
In the center of the house, on the main floor, there is a music room where Bette daily runs her fingers across the ebony and ivory. She is always preparing for one of her weekly performances at a church, school, or community festival. You might also find her working with one of her students, gladly passing along her talent, wisdom, and greatest passion.
Bette grew up as the youngest of three kids on a farm in South Central Minnesota. She attended a country church school and helped her mom and dad raise thousands of egg-laying chickens on their farm. While growing up, Bette was never very good at physical activity or sports; in fact, most would judge her to be clumsy and uncoordinated. She struggled and had to work harder than most to keep her grades up as she moved from the country school to the local high school. Growing up practically all alone on the farm gave Bette little experience with making friends and understanding the cruel realities of teenage cliques and social groups. In many ways, Bette was an outcast and never really fit in with her classmates during her high school years.
But there was one thing that Bette learned how to do early in life, which set her apart from the rest. Once a week, her mother would drive her fifty miles round trip to meet privately with her piano teacher. After many years of piano lessons and piano recitals, she cultivated her natural talent and gift for music. Bette can sit down at the piano and make magical heavenly sounds on the keys. She has touched thousands of people with her music and she truly understands the gift of her Creative Power and how it has led to her destiny and greatest contribution in life. (Excerpt from Dance With The Elephant : Life's Cosmic Equation)
Happy Birthday Love!
Honey Bear
