From Our Intern…
Dear Hannah from six months ago,
You will not believe where you’ve ended up. I won’t spoil the surprise, but I do want to take a moment to encourage you.
If I remember correctly, you are about to begin this internship and you are hoping you will do everything right and avoid any speed bumps between you and your degree. Let me tell you right now, this is not how it works. You don’t learn from doing everything right. You don’t learn from smooth sailing. Your muscles don’t become stronger without tearing and being forced to create new growth.
You will have days where you want to give up. You might think you’re not cut out to be a music therapist. You will question your career choice and wish you chose something that made more money. All of these thoughts and insecurities are normal. Do not feel ashamed for them. But move forward.
Know that these thoughts are lies meant to tear you down. None of these thoughts will stir you to action or cause you to be inspired. Do not dwell on the negativity. Instead, blaze your own trail. Commit fully to the process, and trust that the Lord has put you here for a reason. Jaime, Bekah, and the whole HGMTS team are here to teach, encourage, and stretch you. They want the best for you, even if it hurts a little.
You will get to pursue your own passions in music therapy and find out what makes YOU unique to the field. Jaime and Bekah are going to challenge you to start your own music therapy program at HGMTS, and they have left the population choice up to you! This will be a huge opportunity for you to incorporate your background and upbringing into your occupational dreams. Your passion for adoption and foster care will inspire you to take this project head on.
You are going to meet people that will change your life. Your clients will benefit from your services, but you will be forever impacted by their spirits. You will learn more from these people than you have ever learned in a college classroom. You will learn about perseverance, patience, compassion, unconditional love, and humor. You will laugh harder than you have in a long time. You will celebrate the joy within each client, and they will welcome you into their hearts with eagerness.
You will have to say some very difficult goodbyes. This internship, though it may not always feel like it, will come to an end. Just as you are starting to feel bonded, connected, and invested in your clients, you will have to close that chapter. You will walk away from some sessions not knowing if that client will ever be able to attend another music therapy session in their life. After seeing, firsthand, how they blossomed through music, it will hurt you to not know if they will have that opportunity again.
There are some goodbyes, however, that you will not have to say. These goodbyes would have probably been the most difficult, but lucky for you, the end of the internship will not be goodbye. I’ll let you enjoy this surprise as it comes to you in this process, but just know that you are in for a wild ride! You will be even more satisfied with the end result than you can even imagine right now.
Buckle up and enjoy! You lived to tell the tale.
