A time to play, a time to let go

Ok, so that's not quite how the scripture in Ecclesiastes goes, but this is in the same spirit.

Years ago, when Sea Gal had been married about 18 months, we purchased an upright grand piano at a garage sale in Seattle. It was UGLY! Salmon pink, battleship grey, mint green, white - these were all colors of paint that had been put on this piano - and not artistically. It's not that I wouldn't appreciate art with those colors - there's an itsy-bitsy-teeny-weenie chance I could appreciate it. So, anyway, it was a sight to behold.

Over the years, we refinished much of the piano to the original black cherry finish it had when made in the early 20th century, tuned it, made it fairly nice. It has a beautiful sound. The problem is that it still needs some work, and I frankly don't have the time, funds, and place to work on it. So, after playing it for five years, it was time to let go. We're moving in the spring of 2010, and I'd rather get rid of big things we don't need prior to that date.

I'd like a piano that I don't need to completely rebuild, and a friend wanted to pick up where I left off. So this morning, we gave our piano to a dear friend - and I'm so excited to see her finish the project and have a beautiful upright grand piano. I love watching a person's eyes light up like hers did when the piano was at the bottom of our stairs.

A piano seems to be a wonderful addition to a home - makes it somehow more cozy. We've still got an organ (which has a similar effect).