The Smartest Eight-Year-Old I've Ever Met

I met the smartest eight-year-old I've ever met on Saturday. Sometimes I get to go play my music at the soup kitchen while people eat. It's probably my favorite place to play...I leave with a lot of good memories and a reminder to be grateful for my blessings. It's a less formal "show" and people just come talk to me in the middle of my songs. I love it! So I sang there on Saturday evening and met some wonderful people. This one guy came up during "Handshake," and started making up his own version of the song, Indian style. It was great. :) He said next time I come, he's going to write a song for me and him to sing together. Watch out for that one! :)

I have a soft spot for 8-yr-old Ann. She's smart and beautiful. Her eyes shine with determination to do great things with her life. Her heart is pure and innocent, but she hasn't had an easy life. I found out Ann's parents divorced when she was four, so that's been really tough for her. Just talking to her for 15 minutes, I could feel that Ann is a very special and valiant daughter of God who was sent here to make a difference. She opened her heart to me and told me about her dreams. She said, "Sometimes people fight about such silly things. I don't get it. But I want to help people and change that." She told me about a boy at school who got in a fight over a bag of chips, and she said, "It's not worth it to fight! Especially over chips! And the kind of chips he had were a disgusting kind too!" :) Seriously, this 8-yr-old has a heart of gold. I was so impressed that at such a young age, she was trying to figure out how she could make a difference. She wants to go places and she has big dreams. But with the fire she has inside her to go places, she will get to those dreams and beyond. Ann really made me think about my own dreams. Am I doing everything I can to make them come true? How can I make a difference?

Thanks, Ann, for reminding me about using each day for the things that really matter. I know that each one of us has a purpose in being on the earth at this time and things that Heavenly Father has specifically sent us here to do. We are here to make a difference - to love deeply, to change lives, to take risks and grow and learn. It's never going to be a piece of cake. But finding our purpose and living to fulfill that is more rewarding than anything else.