I have seen the piano on display. I heard it being played. In the absence of anyone around me, I saw it differently. The red ropes marked that the piano was special and off-limits. There was a sign as a secondary reminder that only designated individuals could play with permission. In the quiet hum of a mall, there was an absence in this space that I could imagine being filled by a pianist and the sounds that followed.
When someone sees me, what do they see? With the fresh memory of the piano, I imagine that on my best days, they will see a divine instrument producing the music of kindness and care. On my worst days, they will see a vessel designated as something special yet producing nothing of note. The metaphor carries extra meaning because the vessel is equally visible in silence and sound.
When sounds emerge, what do they hear? The sounds that follow when a pianist shares from her/his imagination can be magical. I close my eyes and listen to friends expressing their hearts and souls through the keys. The notes catty me to a world filled with beauty, awe, and wonder. Sounds expressing kindness and care. I know I am accepted and belong. I feel the embrace of compassion. This is Divinity’s healing response to life’s struggles. I see possibilities. My intent is to gift others with this as they hear my life as I play it out today.
Do I realise I have been marked as special and off-limits to anyone else? I found myself smiling as I thought of what the piano represented. Divinity marked me as her child. I am reserved. Nobody has a right to play me unless I give permission. I did not set myself up, I was put in place by Divinity. I am today’s example of the writer’s observation; “Neither did Christ presume to set himself up as high priest, but was set apart by the One who said to him, ‘You’re my Son; today I celebrate you!’” (Hebrews 5.5)
It is music time.
