Beautiful Noise

I have a memory of myself, my sister (Mimisuu), and my cousin, (Mara) playing the piano at my grandmothers house. Now our choice of music was the Beatles - anything Beatles! Mostly I remember us banging on the piano and screaming "I wanna hold your hand", or something like "yea, yea, yea" , whatever it was I know it had to be excrutiating for our family to listen to. I have always wanted to learn to play the piano (pretty, not banging). My sister in law tried to teach me once but without a piano in my home it didn't work out so well.

A couple of years ago when my husband and I went to an auction, I asked him if we could purchase a piano if there was one there. Low and behold, there was. And, he bought it for me. I still haven't learned to play it but I am closer to learning now than I was. My hubby would like for our boys to learn to play the piano as well.

When we were kids growing up and got too loud, my papaw would always say "stop that racket." I also remember growing up that anytime we had loud music playing or the tv too loud, someone would always say "Turn that racket down" or " you all are making too much racket." I have often wondered what "racket" really was and why don't people care for it? As a parent of two young rambunctious boys I am finding out what "racket" really is.

Racket is two young guys wrestling in the middle of the living room floor. Racket is two young boys fighting over toys. Racket is two young boys yelling at each other just because they can. Racket is two young boys doing flips on the furniture and crashing into the floor with tons of laughter. Racket is fun; fun for children but not so much for the adults.

Now, when my boys climb up on that piano stool, I start to cringe because I know the "racket" is coming! However, it isn't racket to them. The other day they both climbed up on the piano stool, and Cole looked at me and said, "Do you want to hear some beautiful noise?" How sweet! So he and Franklin began to softly play the keys of the piano and I listened to the "beautiful noise" with pride - because I now know the difference between "racket" and "beautiful noise." Until next time, the doctor is out ... listening to beautiful noise.