"Men look in the mirror to see themselves, women look in the mirror to find themselves." Author Unknown

It's that woman in the mirror again, except this time it was my rear view mirror and I was chaperone and driver for five 2nd grade girls on the way to a play. I love chaperoning field trips, especially for my daughter, because I see so much of myself in her. Our kids are in private schools so the chaperone also gets to transport their group to the field trip site.
I arrived at the classroom at the designated time and looked on the sign up sheet to see which children would be accompanying me. I have one of those larger SUV types of vehicles, so I have five seats available for children to travel safe in. Normally, this means two girls and three boys or vice versa. To my surprise I had five girls, four including my daughter, next to my name. It pays well to know the teacher! While I waited for the class to release the children to the waiting chaperones, I planned what our brief 15 minute trip would entail. I only had 15 minutes to be the "cool" chaperone and I devised a great plan.
For those of us with kids, the 6 CD changer in the car that I'd always dreamed about has conveniently become the storage place for my children's favorite music. The good news is that the music that I spent my teens and early twenties with seems to have come back as "classic" music for my kids. In my car I have; "The Best of Hip Hop" ( Vanilla Ice, Tone Loc, Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince.... you get the idea) which happens to be the favorite of any valet who may drive my car or the car wash guys. "Rascal Flatts", the country crossover band that my kids love as much as me. "Singing through the Multiplication Tables", I have a first and second grader, and as soon as this skill is mastered, I'm burning that cd! "Bon Jovi" which my littlest calls Band Jovi, thank God for the classics! We all know every word. Finally,"Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus" the two disc set rounds out my music playlist.
With five girls in the car, I could play Hannah Montana and know that I wouldn't be met with boos from any poor boy who had been assigned to my group. The girls and I piled in, the car started up and I pressed the button for the correct cd to play Hannah Montana. Chaos ensued. As soon as the first few bars of the first song played, the girls began to sing from the top of their lungs. That's when I  found myself in the mirror, looking back at the joy and exuberance and youth that filled my backseats.
For the next fifteen minutes, we sang all our favorites. The words to Hannah's songs reverberating in my ears. I'll admit that I'm a fan too, for all of the reasons why many mom's are fans. The words to the songs that my daughter is singing are words I need to listen to as well. These songs of our life are the ones we need to learn by heart. Songs you learn by heart come to you in times of trouble and sadness and joy and happiness. They are there when you reach deep for something to help you get through. They are the words that come to mind when you find yourself searching in the mirror.
If you need one to live by, I'm attaching my favorite song's lyrics. When this one plays I light my imaginary lighter and lift it in the air, and honor the woman that I know I can be. I sing it out to everyone, everywhere who has forgotten that there is a Great inside them. Enjoy my life's soundtrack, it is guaranteed to lift you up, no matter your age....
Make Some Noise, by Hannah Montana
It's easy to feel like
You're all alone
To feel like nobody knows
The great that you are
The good that's inside you
Is trying so hard to break through

Maybe it's your time to lift off and fly
You won't know if you never try
I will be there with you all of the way
You'll be fine

[Chorus]
Don't let anyone
Tell you that you're not strong enough
Don't give up
There's nothing wrong with just being yourself
That's more than enough
So come on and raise your voice
speak your mind and make some noise
And sing
Hey, hey
Make some noise
Hey, hey, yeah

You want to be known
You want to be heard
And know you are beautiful
You have so much to give
Some change you wanna live
So shout it out and let it show

You have a diamond inside of your heart
A light that shines bright as the stars
Don't be afraid to be all that you are
You'll be fine

[Chorus]
Don't let anyone
Tell you that you're not strong enough
Don't give up
There's nothing wrong with just being yourself
That's more than enough
So come on and raise your voice
speak your mind and make some noise
[Make Some Noise lyrics on www.metrolyrics.com]

And sing
Hey, hey
Make some noise
Hey, hey, yeah

[Bridge]
You can't just sit back and watch the world change
It matters is what you've got to say
There's no one else who can stand in your place
So come on it's never too late

Maybe it's your time to lift off and fly
You won't know if you never try

[Chorus]
Don't let anyone
Tell you that you're not strong enough
Don't give up
There's nothing wrong with just being yourself
That's more than enough
So come on and raise your voice
speak your mind and make some noise
And sing
Hey, hey
Make some noise
Hey, hey, yeah
Hey, hey
(Make some noise)
speak your mind and make some noise
And sing hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Make some noise
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Make some noise
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Make some noise
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Make some noise