I'm not quite sure where your beautiful melody and my messy soul crossed paths, but I am endlessly and deeply glad that they did. You have a way of filling in the gaps where words aren't quite adequate, and you make people feel things much more vividly than anything else can provoke. You play a uniquely meaningful role in the life of every single person, and I find your ability to do so absolutely riveting. The same notes or chords or lyrics can have a different significance for each person who hears it, and that alone often renders me speechless.

If I had to take a guess, I'd say our paths first crossed when I was really little, and liked to listen to different cassettes and CDs in my Hello Kitty radio. I didn't know it, but the days I spent singing along were what got me hooked. That led into a whole world of opportunities, and I've been lucky to grow up with you as a huge part of who I am. You've brought me to the person I've become, and I've realized that you are what I really love to do. Not a lot of people my age can say that they know what they want to do with their lives, but I'm lucky enough to tell them all about how music has touched my heart.

We intersected again when I began to pluck out notes on the piano, and later, the guitar. You taught me to appreciate music of all forms, and in turn, you taught me to really admire diversity in all things. The difference in each and every instrument and sound is what makes it beautiful, just as the differences in each person are what makes them beautiful. Ironically, you also taught me that we are all connected, like how so many different mediums of sound can unite to create an awe-inspiring song.

You have filled my mind with questions and answers and thoughts and feelings-- not to mention a sizable amount of music theory that only increases each day. You are an expressive outlet, a language, a history, a science...you are so many things all encompassed into one. Whether it's simply a song on the radio, a melody in my head or practicing notes on a page, you continually amaze me. I will never be able to fully comprehend the bond that you somehow weave into each person's soul.

Thank you for your beauty, your passion and your vulnerability. You have filled my heart with joy, and I know that there's a song inside of me that will always remain. I am fulfilled with song, and life without you would be so incredibly gloomy. May you always speak where words are unable to reach.

With gratitude,

Me