I slowly walked past rows of happy parents. How can I play Ode to Joy? I wondered.1was the last thing I felt. I felt like I was being2to the principal's office. I reached the piano and climbed onto the bench. I opened the 3. My teacher stood nearby， smiling encouragingly. Okay. Here I go. My 4hit the first note. There was no sound. What was happening？ I tried again. Nothing! The only5were terrible， which were soon joined by my own6sobs. I jumped off the piano bench and ran to my mother's open7. She hugged me and carried me to the car. I8all the way home. Then Mum led me into her bedroom. I knew what was coming. This was where we had all of our talks. She bent down so we were at eye9. "Katy, I'm very proud of you," she said. "It's okay that you didn't10tonight."
I didn't understand. Mum sat on the bed and11me onto her lap. "What you did took a lot of bravery. The important thing is, you12 ， " she said. "That's all that matters to me." She wrapped her arms around me and held me tight.
I went to sleep feeling more13than anyone else in the world. The next day Mum told me my piano teacher had14. The school piano was electric. No one had switched it15. They wouldn't make that mistake for the next performance. What a16!
That evening my mother glowed with17when I sat down to play. The hard part was trying. That was the important thing. I could do that. I put my hands on the keys. Ode to Joy18the hall with its sweet sound as if it rose all the19to the angels in heaven. My mother has since joined those angels. But the20she taught me and the memory of her loving arms will stay with me forever.
