Jessica, my niece and flute player

It's nice to have extra time to spend with family you don't get to see often enough. I have been in Georgia visiting my sister Sandy and her family this week, and it has been a pleasure.

It seems the older I get the more I appreciate family more, and the more I look forward to seeing those that live out of town.

My niece Jessica is fifteen and is quite the softball pitcher. This year she made the decision to focus her attention on her flute playing, and it is really starting to pay off. Jessica performs with her school marching band and practices often, making sure her performance is just right.

In this video here she is working on a new piece she received for her school's annual Christmas performance.

Talent is something that many of us take for granted, myself included. What may seem easy for one, is difficult for many others. I might think it is nothing when I pick up the harmonica and blow out a few blue riffs, whereas someone else can never see themselves puffing out more than a few unorchestrated sour notes.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with giving ourselves a pat on the back for our abilities now and then, and Jessica certainly deserves to toot her own horn a bit for all her hard work in her flute playing.