We bought the guitar– the first guitar– because we wanted our kids to be exposed to music.
It wasn’t the perfect first instrument for a child, but it was portable, it could be used by the whole family, and Christopher had a small sliver of experience that he could pass on. We did some research, haunted a small local shop for months on end, and finally walked out with an instrument.
Not the very top of the line, but not a cheap throwaway, either. Somewhere near the middle: a beautiful Alvarez classical with lovely lines and, even more important, a rich, full sound.
It was ours.
But truthfully, the minute it was in her hands, it was hers.
Some things you just can’t explain. Some things defy reason. Some things just point to a raw seed deep inside that needing only a sprinkle of water to burst into life.
That was Mary Hannah and her guitar.
From the beginning, she could spend hours working over the same chords, the same bars of a song, perfecting it– and then look up and seem genuinely confused that it was time to stop. Her hands seemed to know what to do and her ears seemed able to grab sounds from the air and force them out through her fingers’ movements. She conquered styles, was fascinated by the nuances of picking verses strumming. She tried it all, and she was good. From the beginning, she played.
Today, music is her soft place to fall. It’s how she celebrates, and how she mourns. When she is happy, she makes music. When she is sad, she makes music.
Always, there are songs.
I love to hear her strumming, singing, unconcerned with life swirling around her. I love to see her shoulders relax as she molds around the instrument and her hands become and extension of her soul. I love to watch her face soften and her eyes slip closed as the songs make their way into the atmosphere, sweetening our home.
Music is an extracurricular. It’s not required, not the Main Thing. But oh, how it enriches everything it touches. How it adds value. How it sets the spirit free.
The language of music is a beautiful gift we can offer our children. And when they learn to speak it fluently, it’s the gift they offer back to us.