Family Treasures

My brother inherited the family piano; the one we all played, sang around, and loved. In many ways it was the center of our family story. It played out crushes, heartbreaks, fights, celebrations, holidays, and grief. If it could talk it would have a lot of secrets to keep, and it would probably tell anyone to sit down and listen in a beautifully melodic way as it distracted one and all.

My brother was the lucky recipient of this treasure for a couple of reasons. He actually plays the piano really well, the rest of us dabble here and there. He has a big enough house to devote a room to a 7+ foot historic treasure that needs to be polished, dusted, played and tuned regularly. Lastly, it was promised to him since he was 10, and we all agreed, this particular treasure was going to be his.

So he is the caretaker of the family piano, and as such, he took the giant step of sending it in for refurbishment. Now there is a scary and expensive word when it comes to something as massive as a piano, with 188 moving keys, string and other parts. It is a gesture of love, it is a huge expense, and it is terrifying to think it might be different.

When I think about how affected I am by the idea of sending it off, I cannot imagine how my brother must be feeling. He is steadfast, determined, and has checked on it every step of the way.

In the end, the piano is so much more than a piece of furniture that we put the tree on every year. It exceeds the musical instrument that it was designed to be. More important than the kitchen table, more frequently used than our family vehicle, it was our treasure. Now it is entering a new era of its life and leaving the old one behind, but the memories are ingrained in the wood and filled with the music of our youths.