Finally Getting A Piano

I remember sitting in the old # 3 washtub for my Saturday night bath while listening to the Grand Old Opry on the radio. I don’t remember now who it was but someone played the piano on the Opry and I wanted to play just like that. My aunt had an upright player piano and when we went to visit her, the piano bench was the first place I plopped down. She showed me how to insert the piano rolls in the front of the piano and then I would stretch to reach the two pedals at the base of the piano to make it play.

I begged Mother and Daddy for a piano. I promised I would practice if they would get a piano for me. I would plead and promise; plead and promise. Finally, when I was about 10, my little friend down the street, who had a piano, didn’t want to play it any longer and her parents decided to sell it. Wonders of wonders, I was going to be the lucky little girl who would become the owner of her old upright piano! I was thrilled beyond measure and couldn’t wait until I had it in our home.

Finally, the day came. The piano had to be carefully taken down about ten steep steps. So, my Daddy enlisted the help of six friends, who very carefully maneuvered it down the steps and out on to the sidewalk. I begged my Daddy to let me go and watch the process, but Daddy said I had to wait at home. I think he was afraid the piano might go flying down the steps; out into the highway and bust into a hundred pieces and he knew my little heart would be broken. So, I stood on our front porch and anxiously stretched my neck in order to catch the first glimpse of my piano. Very soon, I saw it…..my piano in all of its glory being carefully pushed up the sidewalk by six men.

I couldn’t wait to get my hands on those piano keys. Up the sidewalk they came; pushing and puffing and finally up to our front door. They managed to get the piano onto our porch and in the front door and carefully moved it to the appointed spot. I could hardly wait to sit down on that brown bench. It was the most beautiful piano I had ever laid my eyes on! Oh, some of the ivories were missing but the face of the piano had wooden floral overlays and under that a lot of little hammers with red felt. I can remember propping the lid up with big books and then tinkling the ivories and watching those little hammers move back and forth producing a sound.

Now I could learn to play………..

God gives each of us a talent; maybe more than one. What are you doing with your talent?

“Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord! “Psalm 150-3-6 ESV