In the town where I grew up… a little town in Colorado called La Junta… there was a music store named McKenzie’s Music. One of my favorite things to do was to walk down to this store and go in, and look at all of the pianos that Mr. McKenzie had to sell. Of course I loved the grand pianos the best.
I was blessed to have a nice spinet piano, which one of my grandmothers bought for my family. I took lessons on that piano from age six, until I left for college. And while I valued that little spinet, I always dreamed of having a grand piano one day. I never thought I would ever really have my own piano, much less a grand.
But I ended up with a piano shortly after I was married. Hubby picked one out for me and had it moved into our little apartment. It was a little metro-grand upright. This was the piano on which, for years I taught children and adults to play. Enter my sister-in-law who was having a little space problem in her new apartment. “How would you like to have a Steinway grand in your home,” she said. Holy cats! Hubby was of course thrilled because he knew she was speaking of their mother’s piano… a beautiful Steinway built in the 1930s! As a musician, I thought this was too much to believe could happen! The Steinway arrived at our home a few weeks later. I noticed that it needed to have some work done on it. So I called my piano technician. He and I got busy with what “she” needed.
Now, I want to say that my sister-in-law hadn’t let the Steinway just fall apart. But she is not a professional musician, and professional musicians see and hear things that perhaps others might not notice. I knew that Hubby’s sister played and loved this instrument. In the back of my mind, as we brought the piano back to its better state, I wondered how she could have let this leave her. “I wouldn’t be able to let this piano go and not have one,” I thought… an instrument like this is a part of one’s life and woven into the soul in a way I can’t really explain. Once I owned a piano, I needed it like I need water and air and solid ground on which to stand. “Curious that she would let this beautiful thing leave her,” I thought.
We enjoyed that piano for a few years; and then, something happened (as things do) that was good but bad all at the same time. Hubby needed to have a new car. We had no money to make the down payment for a vehicle even though we could qualify for a car loan. So I offered to give up my little Metro-grand upright to cover that amount. (After all, I had the Steinway, right? So why not part with one of the pianos and share the wealth?) It was immediately sold for the amount of cash needed. In nearly the same moment but after the event, my sister-in-law called to say that she was ready to have the family Steinway back as she’d moved to a nice big condo! Well, Hubby, said “No way, Sis. Your words were, ‘How would we like to have the family piano in our home,’ and here it is… I like it! You taking it back will leave my wife with no instrument to teach piano. You didn’t say loan or store, you said HAVE, so we sold her piano. No piano, no business. Sorry, but we keep the Steinway.”
This argument went back and forth for a while, and then I got to thinking. Fighting among family members is wrong. Yes, we have our excellent point of view. But so does she from her perspective… she believed herself to have been loaning it to us when she couldn’t afford to store it. The fact that she chose poor language to explain this is an unfortunate turn of circumstances. Somebody has to suck this up and make peace. So I looked at all sides of the argument.
This would be huge to put my sister-in-law first, because it was true that I would have no instrument on which to play or teach, should I have it moved back to her. But this was family. And family is first, right after God. This is what I believe. This is my life. It isn’t this way just when it’s fun or comfortable or just going my way… It’s this way ALL the time. I either believe what I say or I’m a hypocrite. And I am no hypocrite.
So! I simply sent the Steinway back to her: it had been an honest mistake in the words she had chosen. And I needed to look up… believe that God had another piano waiting somewhere for me. Along with the piano, I sent a letter to my sister-in-law. She seemed thankful. The Steinway left our home and we began looking for a new instrument.
Now this was a serious leap of faith. If there was no money for a down payment on a car, how would there be money for a new piano, a very expensive instrument! “God has always looked after me when I put others first. He won’t fail me,” I thought.
We went through music stores like McKenzie’s Music… they were all too much cash and wanted extravagant financing. One of these sellers knew that I was a teacher, and he sent us to a man who bought pianos, fixed them up and sold them for a price we might be able to afford. I kept telling myself throughout this process not to have expectations. It would make the purchase easier to swallow. And, don’t spend time remembering the Steinway or comparing it to other instruments… that would make accepting the new one easier. Just go and be open to change. God is there. Believe.
His name was Tom. I thought that was a good sign! He showed me several pianos none of which had the timbre or keyboard action with which I was comfortable. Then Hubby mentioned to him that I was a piano teacher; and the rest of our story came out. Tom looked at me and grabbed his chin, as if to be thinking, “Should I do this for her? After all, she’s a teacher… one of us.” Then in one quick movement he took my arm and lead me to see something unexpected, something beautiful. It sat covered with a tarp in the center of his living room… a grand piano! (I thought I was back in Mr. McKenzie’s store! Nice to look at but don’t touch.)
Tom said, “Sit down, play it.” So I did. Excellent action. The tone was pitched a little high for my taste, but I did like it and I told him so. And,Tom told me the story of this piano.
“She was the only instrument saved from destruction in a Los Angeles warehouse fire. In fact, when I refurbished her, there were some scorch marks that couldn’t be removed.” As Tom spoke I looked at those marks on her; I began to feel that we were kin since some years previous, a big hunky fireman had saved me from dying in a fire. (I was carried out of the flames, laid out on the lawn and given oxygen to revive me. The fireman told me that I had been “really lucky that they found me in time. The house was a total loss.”) Yep… This piano and I were meant for each other. And we just said we’d take it without even a thought to the fact that this was probably a $20,000 instrument! And Tom, knowing we had little money, pretty much gave it to me for $3000. Angels come in many forms… even big men who restore musical instruments.
We were able to secure a loan from the bank in less than a day. For three years, I paid out every month until that instrument was mine. I trusted God to help me and He didn’t let me down. I listened to my heart, which is where the Holy Spirit talks to me, and I ended up with a grand piano that feels like kin.
The funny thing to me is, that when the devil comes along, he only shows you how a thing begins, how it looks to start… he NEVER shows you how it will end. He really doesn’t care if it ends badly for you, he just wants for himself, uses you, and screws you. And when God is there, (and He always is if we will listen) He expects YOU to do the beginning of it, to choose against yourself for the benefit of others, and then to trust Him to bring you a good ending without the knowing of it. I have learned that even when it seems that I am the last person on His list of love,God will always, always bring good to me!
May you choose well when choices are yours to make!
Best… Carolyn Thomas Temple
Post Script: “It is difficult to put people before ourselves… for when this is needed, we are usually hurting to the core of our being. God asks us to wait on His movement for our own benefit. Oh, we can go ahead of Him and do what we think is best without Him… but we always somehow mess it up. God asks us in the midst of our pain to believe beyond it, that all will go well… and not just go well for one person or for some of the persons involved, but for ALL!”