Opportunities and Happiness

February was a great month. I had two concerts in Utah: one at BYU and the other in Brigham City. Thanks to everyone who attended and laughed. Thanks to the organizers. I really felt taken care of at both shows.

When I meet new people, I love to hear their stories of how they are making their lives better. I am inspired to learn more and to do more. A good friend completed a huge task this past month. In the face of doubters and cynics, she was able to learn something brand new and make her project a huge success. The human spirit can do anything. It is powerful and wants to succeed. It gets angry when our laziness says, "I can't do it."

As I was traveling on a plane to do a concert recently, I read an interesting article in a magazine about being happy. People complain about being in a rut or being dealt a bad hand. When you find yourself in a difficult situation, ask yourself, "Why me? Why here? What can I learn? What can I do to make this an opportunity?"

We make our own opportunities. We create our own happiness.

Friends and Brothers-- BYU Idaho

So I found a cheerleader outfit backstage during the Friends and Brothers Concert at BYU Idaho and it kept screaming, "Put me on! Put me on!" I didn't want to hurt its feelings, so I did as I was told. Needless to say, I had a great time at the concert.

Marvin Goldstein, Billy Dean, and Thurl Bailey are amazing men. I am better for having spent the day with them. I love Billy's deep voice and his touching lyrics. He is a genuinely nice guy. Thurl's heart is as big as he is tall. I remember being in Jr. Jazz and having him come and visit our team to show us how to do lay-ups. The circle has now come to a close. Marvin, Marvin, Marvin. I never have a dull moment on stage with Marvin. When we are together, we have more fun than the audience. I feel like I've accomplished something if he lowers his head to laugh at some dumb thing I do or say. If every show could be like this one, I would be in heaven.

I love meeting new people. The day before the concert, I hung out in a common area in front of the bookstore and talked and talked and talked. So many nice people.

The students in charge of "handling" me were so kind and accommodating. They didn't even bat an eye when I said I needed sliced deli turkey, wheat bread, and Gala apples with my initials peeled into them in large 3-D cursive letters. Thank you Nathan and Tara (or Tera or Tarra or Terra). You guys made everything run smoothly. The apples were delicious.

I have finished the Christmas album and it is being duplicated this very minute. It is called "Merry White Tree in the Night." I have never been happier with an album. I could sing praises to Nathan DeVore day and night and never praise him enough. He is an insane genius. His originality, vision, and talent are miraculous. Yes, miraculous. He makes miracles.

I will be visiting a lot of places over the next few months. If I'm in your area, stop by and talk for a while.