A couple of years ago, I came to a lady’s house to buy some vitamins. Upon entering the house, I noticed that there was an electronic keyboard on the stand, leaning against the wall. Being a piano music lover and player, I asked if the woman played. She said “Yes” and added that she had been taking lessons–at age 54! I told her that that was very impressive for her to pursue her passion to play the piano.
Then she reciprocated the question.
“I have been playing for 8 years now,” I answered.
“Then you must play a song for me before you leave.” she requested.
I thought she was kidding and I simply smiled. By the end of the purchase of the vitamins, she reminded me of our musical “deal.” She then showed me to an old upright piano in the living room and asked me to play a song for her. I thought for a moment and decided to play David Lanz’s “Return to the Heart”, since she had much passion for music, and it’s one of my soul-searching songs.
I played the song with my best ability, with many emotions pouring into it as possible. She loved it. As I was about to step out of the door, I heard a weak voice calling out. “Young man!”
I turned around. And there was an old lady taking one little step at a time with the help of another woman. “I wanted to come out to thank you for the beautiful song that you played. I have been very sick, and it’s very hard for me to get off my bed, but I really wanted to thank you for the song. It made me feel good…”, she said. With that, she turned around and walked slowly back to her room.
I was deeply touched by her appreciation and felt a deeper understanding of the song. It served its purpose beautifully, returning to one’s heart for peace and joy.
Written by Sang Le
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