How the guitar has changed me

I played the piano for almost a decade, but it wasn’t until I picked up a guitar that I realized my complete and utter passion for music. My older brother is a guitar-playing guru, and about a year ago he gifted my younger brother and me with a Washburn Lyon – an inexpensive guitar, but worth its weight in gold. I held it in my arms, wishing I could play something. I ran my hands up and down the fret board and picked out individual notes that sounded nice. My seasoned piano fingers stretched easily over the width of the strings, and when all the notes came together I heard an audible chord. It was beautiful; in that moment, I knew I had to learn more.
Six months passed and my busy schedule prevented me from finding a teacher, until one walked into my life. I met Tyler through my youth group – he was new, and wow, could he play the guitar. I played the piano for our worship band, and Tyler stepped up and became the new worship leader. After a few months of getting to know him, my younger brother and I started to take lessons from him once a week.
The rest is history – I picked it up relatively fast, and fell in love with the music that could come from an acoustic guitar. After I had gotten the swing of things I started to add my voice, which was in itself a huge step for me; I had never been very confident in my singing abilities as a soloist. I have sung in choir for years, but never imagined what was in store for me once I added my voice to my music. Guitar provided me with something I’d never had enough of: self-confidence. It has been six months since my first lesson, and I just keep on growing. I love it with my whole heart, and it's become a huge part of me. It's opened up doors for me in a way that piano never could. I now co-lead worship at my youth group with Tyler, and a year ago I would have laughed if you had told me I would've been singing and playing in front of people. God has really blessed me with another chip to add to my identity.
One more plus - I can easily take my guitar to college with me. It would be a bit harder to lug my piano up the stairs and into my dorm. :)