Little Waltz for Rachel (A. O'Hearn) - Light and Blue in Presto ~ 8 Yr Old ~ Ever Lazaro EL053

It's astonishing to me that I've come upon one complete year of uploading videos on YouTube!  Time's flown by since I was upset at Cat for beginning this journey FOR me, without my consent.  I was furious when my wife opened her own YouTube account and sneakily uploaded my playful cover of "Beauty School Dropout".  I'm sure she was grinning from ear to ear!  Cat had teased me for using her Facebook account.  At that time, I was trying to take BABY steps in building my confidence for sharing the music within me.  Instead, my wife stepped behind me, gave me a swift, and FORCEFUL, KICK in the REAR!!!!!!!  I felt like I had performed a BIG, full-on belly flop, into the deep blue!  I was scared, but I quickly learned to tread water.  Before I knew it, I was swimming and kept my head down, only coming up for air when needed.  I moved full steam ahead!  Thankfully, it didn't take long for the resounding splash, from my initial plunge into the unknown, to reward me with kind praises from my family, my friends, from patrons of the YouTube community, and anyone else who found my videos among the approximately 75,000 videos uploaded every day!  (My jaw dropped when I learned about that stat, a few months ago.)  52 weeks of lovingly uploading very personal experiences has rewarded me with 1,008 subscribers, 307,000+ uploaded views, and nearly 1,900 daily views, thus far.  I'm eternally grateful for all of the support from everyone who's taken their valuable time to enjoy, or not enjoy, my videos!  I have to say that I am Blessed to receive mostly warm reviews for my efforts.  I knew that I'd need a strong backbone for exposing my personal world and for making myself vulnerable.  I also knew that every person uploading videos on YouTube was taking similar risks.  It's a shame that free will and freedom of speech have corrupted some people into forgetting their good manners, basic respect for others, and simply being accountable for their actions while purposely inciting rage; making hurtful comments while hiding behind their anonymity as YouTube account holders.  I do have to say that while the "bad eggs", or "trollers", infect videos with their insecurities, a good number of YouTube patrons often find their collective voice and take a defensive position when recognizing the horrible efforts of those destructive types.  I understand that some of it is staged in order to arouse curiosity and encourage more uploaded views.  But I, for one, DO NOT, and WILL NOT CONDONE UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR.  PERIOD.  That's just lunacy! I think about my three children enjoying one of my videos and pray that I'm able to make sure the comments are safe for them to read.

I'm not sure how many people actually read what I write for the description box (under each one of my videos).  The GREATEST VALUE, for me, comes from any person who discovers great value from what I've shared.  I'm nearly brought to tears, EVERY TIME, when complete strangers let me know that I've helped them because of what I've shared.  These, once complete strangers, become timeless friends.  My heart is constantly frazzled because I'm not able to respond to all of my YouTube friends who have taken their valuable time to let me know how they feel about my efforts.  Thousands of people have sent me messages, commented on my videos, and/or my profile page, and have blessed me with many wonderful praises, thoughtful sentiments, and kind wishes of good luck.  I AM SO SORRY IF YOU ARE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT I'VE NEGLECTED.  PLEASE FORGIVE ME.  I respond to as many as time will allow, on top of enjoying the videos of those who are happy to share their efforts with me.  I will continue to do my best to respond to all of the kindness that's been shared with me.

This YouTube journey is an investment for me.  I'll patiently wait for the day when my children truly appreciate what I've done. When they read and enjoy all of my personal expressions, as a whole, I'm praying that they'll come to realize that I've done ALL OF THIS for them, and for my entire family.  God willing, YouTube will stick around, my YouTube account will still be intact, AND, I'll still be alive, when Ever, Emersen, and Cara, will come to me, smother me with endless embraces, and have that appreciation become tears rolling from their eyes.  Silently, I'll look into each of their faces and hope to find the magical recognition that I seek.  I can dream, right!?!  I know.  That part about me being "silent" will be a MIRACLE!

I've enjoyed sharing this wonderful adventure with my family, whether they've liked it, or not!  I've brought my loved ones into the fold, and I wouldn't have it any other way!  I'm also very proud to share the video time with my children.  Ever, in particular, has thoroughly enjoyed this YouTube journey!  In fact, Ever insisted that he kick off 2011 with the very first video of the year!  Without further ado, I present Ever performing two short piano pieces, rolled into one video.  Enjoy!