My great grandmother loved to play the piano. Soon after she married her husband, he bought her a brand-new acoustic baby grand piano, made by the Chickering Brothers in 1934. She taught all of her children to play. Eventually the eldest, my grandmother Rosemary, was given the piano. She did not like playing so much and consequently the piano became more of a decoration, frequently used as a place for flowerpots to sit upon. Years later, Rosemary gave it to her sister who used it in a similar fashion. There the piano sat, patiently waiting for someone to come along and once again fill the air with sweet music. That someone was my mother, and she loved to play that piano as much as her grandmother did. In fact, it was her grandmother who taught her to play. Unfortunately, by then the once beautiful keys had started to chip, and it was becoming quite out of tune. On its surface, you could even make out the round circles where flowerpots once sat. Thankfully, when she was old enough, the piano ended up with my mother, who taught me to play. Now a days, the once glorious piano is in quite a terrible state. The keys are falling off, some don’t even play, and it is so out of tune most songs don’t even sound right. My mother still plays though and has vowed to one day return it to its original beauty. I hope one day her wish comes true. 

– Krystin Kaminski

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more