So Much More Than Enough

Hey friends! 

It's Finals Week. Finally. I have been counting down the days until the end of the quarter all quarter long. Mostly, because Corey Tindall will be in Bakersfield in a grand total of 8 days! I'm so excited, but more about that in another blog entry. :)

My Finals Week was supposed to be pretty gross. I had two papers due today, my Piano final, and both my Psych final and my Music Analysis final tomorrow morning, back to back. Psych from 8:00--10:00 and Analysis from 10:30--12:30. Then absolutely nothing until Friday at 10:30.

I've been studying for Psych and Analysis all weekend, and I finished up my papers at the end of last week. So it's been a busy last few weeks.

Most of you will remember from my previous posts that I have to take a Piano Proficiency Exam in order to graduate. It's been really hard, but I have been feeling alright. God has blessed me in the fact that I've made a lot of progress. I still am terrible at sight-reading Bach Chorales, but I still have one more quarter.

Last Friday, I took a mock-Piano Proficiency Exam, and as expected I was good at the pieces I've been learning, and good at the transposition section. However, I botched the Chorale.

My professor said kindly, "I think you'll probably pass next quarter." I said I agreed and that I wasn't planning on passing, but that I just wanted the experience.

I spent the weekend studying for my Psych and Analysis finals, and practicing my piano pieces. Today I went to take my Proficiency Exam.

This is how it went:

I played the piece, "Toccatina" and made a rhythm mistake at the end. My professor reminded me to count and asked me to play it again. 

I played the Chorale, and in my opinion took it to a whole new level of awful. I made rhythm mistakes, note mistakes and in places didn't play my left and right hand at the same time. 

I played the transposition and missed the F# in the key of G.

It was a rough exam, but I just wanted the experience.

I left the room at 10 seconds later, my TA ran down the hallway:

TA: "Hannah! Wait!"

Me: "Yeah?"

TA: "You passed."

Me: "WHAT?!"

TA: "You passed. Come back real quick."

Me: "Are you serious?"

TA: "Yes. Come back."

I walked back to the testing room and my professor smiled at me and said, "Congratulations! You passed!"

Me: "Are you sure...?"

Professor: *laughs* "Yes. You could have played it a little faster, but congratulations! You passed!"

I have never been so floored in my entire life. I didn't deserve that. I did not meet the qualifications. Maybe they took pity on me. Maybe my staying after class, and making progress paid off. I don't know, but whatever the reason I know one thing: God was totally present in that room today. I think He told them to pass me in those 10 seconds I was out of the room.

It's moments like this that make me think, "How can we deny the existence of God?" It seems utterly impossible to me.

Not that I've needed more, but I've been praying for more and more confirmation that I am supposed to graduate early and join Keynote staff. The path God has placed me on has been clear, but the future has felt distant and fuzzy. And thus I've been continuously praying that God would remind me what it is He's doing. Today I heard His voice whisper, "I've got this. You just keep walking down this road. Just keep trusting Me."

I'm astounded. Passing the Piano Proficiency Exam at the end of Spring quarter would have been enough. Passing it this early is more than enough. God is SO much more than enough. :)

I was so excited that I came home and made gourmet macaroni and cheese with bacon. Here's a picture. It's got gouda and sharp white cheddar cheese and apple-wood smoked bacon. Yummy! :D

I hope this story was encouraging to all of you. :) Good luck on Finals. Always remember Who gives you the strength to study and Who gifted you with that brilliant mind to pass those finals! :)

--Hannah