The Sparkle.....

So many times I take for granted the little things that make my kids' eyes light up. I used to catch every little thing and try to hide those things in the back of my mind, just to be able to pull out that thought and remember...to be transported back to that "ah haaaa" moment in their short lives.

I don't know if kids learn to hide those ah haaa moments as they age or if they just don't have them as frequently. Yesterday Robby touched my heart with a big ah haaa moment. Anabelle is young enough that she still has quite a few, and the others have them less and less frequently than before.

As you know, Bob's parents came to visit this past week and we had a great time. Grandma Chapman loves to sit and listen to the boys play the piano. Every time she comes up here, she sits with the boys as they each go through their music and she plays right along with them. This is something that she absolutely loves to do. I am glad that she has those "connecting" moments with the kids. Robby, almost 15, has been playing since he was 5 and is pretty good. He has, though, outgrown our upright grand and really needs a better piano in order to advance his playing. Marilyn has been telling us for about three years that we need to get a better piano. But, the problem is this....we don't have the money for a baby grand or a grand. It's not like buying a new pair of sneakers. These babies are really expensive.

This past week a friend (also the mother of a friend of Robby's) asked if I knew of anyone that was looking for a good baby grand. She had one that she needed to get rid of. I am thinking....ok. I know that this piano is sitting in the dinning room of an old farm house. How good of a piano can she have....(that's not nice of me). So.... over dinner I asked Robby if he had ever seen Austin's Mom's piano and he said, "yes, it's really nice". And I'm thinking, "He doesn't sound too impressed with the piano". But, we have to remember, he's a guy, so short and minimal is all the information I am going to get with that one question. Marilyn, picking up on his brief answer, asked more and he finally told her that he loved playing on it because the tone is incredible and the "play" is good...the feel of the keys...etc. ( I am not a piano player so I don't understand the lingo, but my DMIL does and they are speaking a foreign language at this point) Then she asked if Sandy would consider selling the piano and I told her that she asked if I knew anyone and I really couldn't think of anyone who could afford the instrument. To make this boring story shorter...

We went yesterday evening out to the farm.. Sandy, her two kids, Robby and myself. She showed us the piano...it's a jewel in the middle of nowhere... Robby's eyes lit up like he was seeing an old friend..lol. She told him to try it and he did. He started out a little hesitant, tense, and looked like he was holding his breath. Then as he settled in he relaxed and started breathing again and then he let his fingers fly. He "feels" life. He is the child who's eyes tell you every little thing that he is thinking..... I saw in his eyes hesitance, bewilderment, excitement, love, and then warmth all in a span of Mozart's, Sonatina. After he played another song he got up from the piano and tenderly lowered the lid and covered the piano with the piano shawl that was on it when we arrived. Then he walked outside. He didn't say much. I think I know what he was feeling. I had that same feeling when my parents bought me my prof. flute.

After dinner my DMIL called and asked if we saw the piano and I told her about it. Then she asked what Robby said. She told Bob and me that she really wants to do this for Robby. She wants to encourage him to grow more. She doesn't want him to lose that love he has, and she would like to buy it as a gift for him. I am so floored. I mean, you hear of grandparents buying sweaters and sending cards....but a flipping baby grand???? So, we told her that we would talk more with Robby and would let her know by Friday if that's ok. I feel odd accepting a gift that big. I mean, it's big.

Then I spoke with my mom and she reminded me that Robby's not the only one benefitting from this gift.. allowing my MIL to do this would be a gift to her, too, because she knows how important music is to Robby, and she would have the comfort in knowing that she did something major to encourage his love of the piano. I told Bob what my DM said and he is in agreement with her. So...this morning I got up, went downstairs and stood in the middle of my dining room....it's a big room, and found the perfect place for this piano.

My concluding thought is this....God is good. He knew that we could never afford to buy an instrument like this, and He is blessing our family in an incredible way. Marilyn gets to feel that love in giving a gift so important to Robby. Robby is receiving encouragement to take his playing to a higher level, and Bob and I, as parents get to listen to our son play, knowing that my DMIL believed so much in Rob's talent to do this huge thing for him. God is definitely Good...Yes, very Good.

Mary