The Piano Story

 Bill calls this my belated birthday present.  I'll accept that.  Let me tell you about my relationship to having a piano. It's been many years since we have had a piano in the home.  We had one for a while. And then due to some financial harships we went through, we had to sell my piano.  It's been a long time.  I know Bill felt awful about having to let my piano go.  But... well, just listen for a minute while I tell you the long story.

    As a kid growing up in rural Wyoming, my mom decided it was important us 9 kids had music lessons.  I had multiple piano teachers over the years.  My favorite one was my brother's girlfriend, Kimberly, because she had long nails and didn't make me cut my nails like my previous teacher. (Kim is now my sister in law, but that is a side note.)

    Our family, my parents and their children, always had musical instruments. We had a piano, and Organ, trumpet, flute, drums, autoharp, guitar, the list goes on.  Family band time was a regular thing.  If you couldn't find an instrument, you played the spoons or a jug.

    When our family moved from Wyoming to California, we left behind a lot of those things.  My parents were recovering from a financially difficult time.  The piano and organ were some of the items that did not make the move with us from Wyoming.

    Upon our arrival to our new home in California we had very little.  We had no beds or dressers yet.  I was a 16 year old girl sleeping on a mattress on the floor and living out of a suitcase.  It was ok.  I was glad we had our family together.  Really.  It wasn't that bad.

    What surprised me was one of my mom's first items to purchase before beds and dressers. 

She bought a piano.

    She told me "Hearing you play brings me peace and comfort."  It was that important that we had a piano in our home.  So I played.  I loved playing piano.  I wasn't a concert level talent.  It was just a peaceful thing for me.  It relieved my stress as well as my mom's.  I also remember at times when I would be talking to a boyfriend on the phone, I would set the phone on top of the piano and play music for him.  

    Fast forward to my marriage and kids.  A couple of years after I was married and had a kid or 2, my mom and dad bought themselves a new piano and gave me that old used piano.  I was excited to have that back in my life again.

    Once again I enjoyed piano music in the home.

    But life has it's roller coasters, doesn't it?

    Fast forward a few years -  We lost our home due to a struggling economy and struggling businesses.  My little family, my husband and our 5 kids,  had to move from our big home on the hillside that we loved for so long.  As life took it's turns here and there, we had to move a few times over the next few years and ended up renting a basement apartment.  Previous to this move, we had moved that piano multiple time.  But the piano just would not fit down the stairs into our new apartment.  The men tried multiple ideas.  It just wasn't going to get into our home.  We made the decision to sell my piano to some friends. 

 I cried.

At church over the years I was asked to play piano for the primary kids.  I would come to church early and practice on the piano they had since I couldn't practice at home.  When that "calling" at church was no longer my responsibility, I just quit playing piano.

It's been years since I really played a piano.  I mean, really played.  You know, where your heart and hands and soul connect to the keys?  Not that I am all that great, it's just... well... peaceful to me.

We've moved into my dream home now.  We have space.  God has blessed us with success beyond my dreams the past couple of years.  

Bill has talked about buying me a piano, but I know how expensive a good one can be and we have so many other obligations to take care of.  So the piano can wait.

Yesterday, Bill took me for a drive, blindfolded me as he walked me into some stranger's home, then told me to sit on this bench.  I knew immediately I was sitting on a piano bench without being able to see a thing.

    He and the boys went to get this new addition to our home and put it in our living room.

    Sure, I have a piano again.  But what has been more fun for me than having "my piano" back, is listening to my boys play and figure out a few simple songs.  Again, none of us concert musicians, but there is a kind of peace and joy and happiness that a piano brings into the home.  It's been fun plunking out a few notes.  I am really rusty but happy.

    I might cry again, but this time joyfully.