On a Friday night in December, I got out to see my student Erin Havel perform at the Fat Bean in Naperville. With only three hours of sleep, getting my drowsy self off the couch and into the cold night was the last thing I wanted to do. However, I had been looking forward to seeing Erin play and checking out the Fat Bean for myself.

My assistant and former student, Nicole Nunziato, told me months ago about an open-mic night at the Fat Bean coffeehouse, where she held a part-time job. She described a relaxed atmosphere with big chairs and comfy couches, created by owner Marla Tabaka. It sounded like a great place for developing musicians to perform. Nicole had been hanging fliers for the open-mic night around Musical Expressions and I kept hearing stories of our students playing there. Knowing Erin's singer/songwriter aspirations, I suggested picking a date and preparing three songs. The night arrived and tonight was Erin's debut performance as a guitarist and songwriter.

Arriving with Nicole, I was excited to find one of my former students, Josiah Spinelli warming up in a room set aside for the evening's performers. I had turned Josiah over to one of our guitar teachers, Bruce Altice, about a year ago because of Josiah's love of the blues and Bruce's expertise with the genre. The way he lit up when telling me how he loved studying with Bruce was extremely gratifying. You couldn't tear the smile off my face.

Finding Erin understandably nervous, I greeted her with a hug and some words of encouragement. After meeting a few of her friends, I wondered when she would be up to play. She wasn't sure and directed me to the sign-in sheet. What happened next was one of those exquisite moments when life surprised and delighted in showing its innate perfection. As I read down the list, I couldn't believe my eyes: "Brian Starr and his guitar." Here was the name of one of my former students from the very early days of Musical Expressions, a student I hadn't seen in more than 10 years! I couldn't contain my elation and disbelief. Life is truly amazing. This was a perfect example of what Carl Jung refers to as "synchronicity".

Brian had contacted me a year ago after returning from doing an "open mic" national tour. I considered him a modern day wandering minstrel, exploring the country while sharing his musical passion and honing his craft. We were thrilled to talk at the time, yet despite attempts, getting together just didn't materialize.