I remember going to the home of my band director, Mrs. Dempsey. I think it was one of the only times I ever went to the home of one of my teachers. I remember a beautiful, piece of furniture that she had. It was a cabinet for sheet music. It was made especially for sheet music. How cool was that?! I made a mental note to myself that one day I would own a cabinet for all of my sheet music.
That cabinet wasn’t a priority over the years and I had long forgotten about it until I went to Caeleb’s piano lessons. His teacher had a similar cabinet and the memories of seeing Mrs. Dempsey’s cabinet came back to my mind. That’s when I knew just who to ask.
My friend, Gary, is an amazing woodworker. The furniture in his home looks as if it came from a gallery and he made every, single piece. Each design and screw placed with intention, the strokes of the stain brushed by his own hand, and the design thought out step by step with purpose. His talent is extraordinary. I asked him if he “wanted a project” and he gladly accepted the challenge. I explained to him what I wanted, and over the past few months he worked his magic and today it is now in my home.
I don’t know what it was about the cabinet I saw so many years ago, but when it was brought into my home I felt like this new piece of furniture, a piece that had only seen Gary’s workshop, came home. It will provide a home to all of the music that has been played and sung over the years in my family.
We have been given gifts to share with others. Some have the gift of music to play and sing, to lift a person’s spirit. Others can cook a meal that comforts us during recovery from surgery, and then there are those who create with their hands, works of art.
I am so overwhelmed with gratitude. So overwhelmed with the fact that someone created a piece for me that had been a heart’s desire of mine for such a long time. I don’t think Gary will ever understand how much his gift means to me. And it reminds me that when we have a gift, we should share it with others.
We often think our gifts are not a big deal, but we forget that we have been blessed with talents that others do not have. And when we share them with others, we are living with purpose.
Today I Am Thankful For:
- windy days
- an unexpected lunch with a friend
- quick trips
- pencil sharpeners
- being needed
