Play Me a Tune

For as long as I can remember, my grandmother has come all the way down from Missouri to Texas to see me. That's a long drive...'specially for an old lady.

As she aged, it became more and more difficult for her to see to drive, so now she flies to Texas or has my uncle drive her down. She's the ripe 'ol age of 88 now, and just returned a few weeks ago after her Christmas visit.

I am my grandma's ONLY granddaughter. She reminds me of that constantly. She has great-granddaughters and great-great grand children, but I am the only official granddaughter. Makes me feel purty special.

She has always loved to hear me play the piano. It doesn't matter what I play for her: classical, jazz, praise & worship, show tunes, boogie woogie, love songs...if I can play it, she wants to hear it.

When she would come down for a visit, our first trip was to the store to get the Cheez Puffs, and the next order of business was for her to say, "Play me a tune."

I would sit at the piano and play everything I could think of...Grandma would sit in a chair nearby and just smile and clap at the end of each song. It is a memory I will never forget.

During her recent visit, she spent the day with Sydney and me. We accomplished many important things; such as, spending spare change at Dollar Tree, eating lunch at Dairy Queen, and running errands. As we were relaxing at home that afternoon, she said to Sydney, "Play me a tune."

To my surprise, Sydney knew exactly what she was talking about. She went to her piano, turned it on, and began playing Grandma her tunes. Grandma clapped after each "performance" and Sydney played until she couldn't think of any other songs.

To you, these pictures may look like an old lady watching a baby play in a junky living room...

To me, all I can hear is my Grandma's sweet Missouri voice saying, "Play me a tune."

And I can't help but choke back a tear.