Children come up more and more frequently during dinner conversations with my parents. They bring up the subject; it's one of their favorite now. They are more than willing to have me give birth to the little bundles of joy, and then take over from there and raise my children for me. They want those babies... and they're not subtle about it anymore.

"When you have children, I will definitely push music on them. Because you had talent, but you did nothing with it."

Growing up, I never believed any of the encouragement and praise I received. Dad said that many times, but I'd never really asked... or I wanted to hear him say it again...

"How did you know? I mean, how did you know I had talent? That I wasn't ordinary... that I was especially talented?"

"I always knew it. Everyone knew. Since you were very young. It was obvious you had it in you. When I heard you play [the piano], when they heard you play... we could all tell. You were different from the rest. Your musical expression... Oh, we could all feel it."

I felt it too. But it was deeply personal. The emotions were mine, from my own private collection. Not meant to be shared with the public. How dare people make me perform for them... put my heart, my feelings on display... especially in a room full of strangers?!

Years later, having done nothing with it, I now appreciate whenever dad reminds me of what I used to have... what he gave me... what he is dying to pass on to my children.