Today my mother and I were talking about her musical background. She is an outstanding musician – especially as a pianist. I asked her if she had taken piano lessons her entire life. She said she started taking lessons when she was 6 years old. She would go to the woman’s home and play. When she would make a mistake, the woman would hit her on the head. This went on for 4 years without my mother ever telling her parents. Listening to the story broke my heart. Then she decided she was not going back any more, but she still did not tell her parents. She continued to practice and left the house at the right time, but did not go to the woman’s house. She kept the dime that she was to pay the woman in a safe place. After a few weeks, the woman contacted her mother and told her that she had not seen the little girl. Her mother confronted her and she told her the story. She also gave her back all the dimes that she had been storing away. Needless to say, she never went back. She got a new teacher that taught her many new things that she was not learning before. In the upper school grades, she had an amazing nun for a teacher that brought her all the way through high school. She also learned to play the organ and to accompany a choir. Once she was married, she traveled a lot through the military lifestyle, and started having children. The weekly lessons stopped, but she continued learning through courses. She also accompanied several choirs and played for churches. Eventually the student became the teacher. She taught preschool music lessons and piano lessons. She showed patience and loving kindness as opposed to what she endured as a child. Even in her later years, she got a teacher that she visited and played for weekly until the elderly teacher passed away. She said she learned something new from each one. I said I thought it was amazing that she had such a horrible experience when she started out, yet kept at it. She said it is just a part of her. She has to play the piano. Later, she played my favorite Clair de lune. It has been a struggle for her as her Parkinson’s and arthritis progress. Last time she played it, she said she didn’t try so hard but just “let go” and her fingers went to the right keys. It was beautiful.
I Found God today in the gift of music that my mother has and the endurance and humility she has shown as it continues to be a part of her life.
