Saying Goodbye to a Family Member
Twenty-two years ago I was single, teaching at a Christian school and playing piano for their church. I could only practice the piano at church, because I didn’t have one of my own. Someone told me about a piano I could have for free!

After playing it to see if I liked it, I hired some piano movers who moved it to my 2nd story apartment. They moved it around the stair landing by turning it on its end like a refrigerator. And it didn’t hurt it at all!
It was a little beat up– it had paint on it– maybe from squeezing it through doorways? I’m not sure. I used fine steel wool– I think it was the piano tuner that told me what to use– to get the paint off. Then I sealed the whole piano with a clear glossy coat of polyeurathane. That might have been my first furniture project!

Then I started giving piano lessons to supplement my income. Later when I was unexpectedly released from teaching in the middle of the school year, my 12 piano students became my main income. My studio grew to over 30 students while I then supplemented my piano income with other side jobs.
Well, a few weeks ago I noticed that my neighbor was giving away her piano. I asked to play it— and decided that I would like to have it…. and that meant saying good-bye to my beloved piano.

And here is the new one! It is a beautiful cherry wood that doesn’t need refinished. It just needed a little furniture cleaner.

It will take some time before this piano feels like family. But I’m making friends with it gradually. The same piano tuner from 22 years ago has come and gone. I’m playing all my old and new songs on this new-to-me piano.

The piano keys are whiter, and the darker wood color matches my house better.

I enjoyed the years when I was a young piano teacher. It seems lots of piano teachers are old. Well…. I’m slowly joining those same ranks.

I’m doing my best to keep pianos from going the way of the dinosaurs. I hope I can encourage more people to take piano lessons or piano classes and enjoy it and succeed.

You may remember that I made this ruffled piano bench cover. This piano came with a matching bench, but I still like this storage bench. So I will keep the matching bench in case a future owner wants it with the piano.

And that’s the story of saying goodbye to one family member– and welcoming another one.