Musical Hearts

For Christmas 2008, Teresa gave me a painting she did to celebrate the years of music she enjoyed when she lived at home. It is a simple and elegant design. I never get tired of looking at this painting. The right side of the heart is the bass clef music symbol , the left side represents the time we both contributed to Teresa's music.

For Teresa's birthday this year, I had her design translated into a silver necklace. The necklace is a simplified version of Teresa's design. I think it turned out nice and I hope she will like it. I'm looking forward to giving it to her.

Both the painting and necklace make me think about our "music days". When Teresa was young she had to ride in the back seat of our '91 Toyota Corolla because her bass violin rode in the front seat - the bass was too big to get through the door into the back seat. We spent many hours together stuffed into that little car driving to music lessons, rehearsals, concerts and festivals. When Katherine was younger she and her cello would ride in the back seat next to Teresa, with the music stands, bags of music and school homework in the trunk. I often thought we'd make for a fun Toyota commercial demonstrating how much you could pack into one Corolla.

Life was traveling at a crazy pace for us then. I remember many times not having time to make dinner after work before I needed to drive the girls to a rehearsal, music lesson, or other event. On those days we would go to drive thru fast food restaurants. I'd hand hamburgers over my shoulder to the girls to eat in the car. It seems kind of crazy to me now when I think back on it. It was a faster pace of life than I could survive at now. I can't believe how many years have gone by since then. It's true, children do grow up faster than we expect. Recently my grandson, Christopher, began taking piano lessons. I am very excited for him and the many experiences he has ahead of him in the world of music. I'm happy that my children value the wonder of playing a musical instrument.

Thank you Teresa for the painting, I hope you will like your necklace even half as much as I like your gift.