How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?

I have always been a Maria fan.

We love "The Sound of Music."

And when I was in fourth grade I was cast as Maria in our school's music program.

What a thrill.

I enjoyed memorizing the wonderful songs, dressing up, and on the day that we performed the musical, all the kids in school wanted to sit by me at lunch time.  (That was a first!!)

When I came home from school that day, my mom had left a red carnation in my bedroom along with a magazine article about the von Trapp family that she had photo copied.

I felt so special.

So, I have always felt a special connection to Maria...I often wondered if I was type-cast in that role, as Maria.  I not only looked like her (at least, like the Julie Andrews portrayal of her, with my short haircut,) but when the nuns sing "How do you solve a problem like Maria," I have often thought they could have easily been singing, "How do you solve a problem like Jocelyn?"

How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?

So, all these years, I have felt a kinship to this woman.  I too had to find my way and my place in life.  I too have gone from being considered by some to be "a problem to be solved" to understanding that I was a person who had potential!

And how did I come to this understanding?

Someone believed in me.

And I believed in Someone.

The "someones" who believed in me were my parents, patient teachers, coaches, and various church leaders and friends.  The Someone who I believed in was God.

A few months ago, one of you readers suggested that I read the books written by the real Maria Von Trapp (since I loved The Hiding Place so much.)

Well, I got an iPad mini for Christmas, so the first book that I decided to read on iBook was The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, the book on which The Sound of Music is based.

OH! How, I loved that book.

And what did I love the most?  Maria's expressions of faith.  I love her wisdom.  I love that the movie really is true to her description of her life in a lot of ways (thank goodness!)

And I wanted to know more.  I felt that my childhood idol was still someone I could emulate!  And thankfully so.

I went online last night looking for Sound of Music-related items to share with Scarlett, my little singer, who I introduced to the movie over Christmas.  I even created a Sound of Music pin board, just to seal my fan status!!

Anyway, I had ordered another one of her books from the library, and it came in today.

I picked it up this morning and was so surprised to open the cover and find that the book I was holding was a SIGNED copy!  Woohoo!  Special!

Then I turned the page again to read her dedication..."to the One who made the name Maria famous for all time."  Again she did not disappoint.

I turned to the first chapter....and what do you know?  She opens her biography talking about her visit to the "Mormon Church University" where she received the first standing ovation since President Kennedy spoke there.

Fun. Fun. Fun.

Now, on my iBook, I can easily share passages of books online with others.  It's such a neat feature, but if you'd like to read more of how her visit to BYU turned out, you'll have to read the text in these photos...or go get the book yourself.

Thanks to the reader who lead me to read more about this delightful lady!

Today, I am having a good time solving problems...

not solving a "problem like Maria," but solving problems in the way that Maria would!