Tunes & talents

​

Piano tunes filled the house when my son came to visit.

I used to hear the piano every day, him constantly playing from the time he was little until the day he moved out. Now that he’s no longer living here, his baby grand still sits in the living room, neither Tim nor I can play a tune to save our lives.

My son has an upright piano of his own now, holding off on moving the baby grand until he’s settled into his permanent home. But every now and then, he misses it and comes by to play, filling the house with music, and always making me smile.

If we’re lucky, we each find a hobby that inspires us, calms us, rejuvenates us, and fills us with happiness. I’m so thankful he has his.

He’s the only one of my kids with musical talent, carrying a gene I believe skipped a generation or two. My grandmother, on my dad’s side, was an incredible organ player who played weekly at church. My grandfather, on my mom’s side, played the harmonica better than anyone I’ve ever heard. So musical genes certainly run through my family… they just never quite landed on me, my parents, or any of my siblings.

I’ll always remember how thrilled my grandmother was when she came to visit after we first got the baby grand. She walked in slowly, frail with age, but once she sat down at the piano, she played as if she were a teenager again. It always reminded me of Yoda, hobbling into battle with his cane, only to suddenly move with unbelievable speed once the fight against Darth Vader began.

When my grandmother finished playing, she smiled at the perfect pitch of the instrument and said, “I’m so happy he has you for a mom… it takes a special mom to support his talents.”

I’ll never forget that day, the music, her words, and the happiness that filled the room.

The piano sits quietly in the living room once again… until the next visit. I do believe every household should be filled with music, color me lucky to have had live music all these years. 

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.” ~  Plato