HAPPY RETIREMENT

When Your Own Children Retire

“That’s Good To Know” is meant to encourage and entertain people of all ages with light-hearted stories about growing older. Please enjoy today’s entry, then share your thoughts on what it’s like to watch the children in your life — age.

OMG my husband and I are celebrating a momentous event TODAY. It’s kind of a shock! Our “kid” is retiring after teaching elementary music for 34 years. We are so proud of her, but we can’t believe WE’RE actually old enough to have a “retiree” for a daughter. Where did the years go? We still remember the day we scraped pennies together to buy her first piano:

A WONDERFUL INVESTMENT

I won it at the county fair — kinda.

I took a chance on its beautiful ivory keys.

It only took three years or so.

The payments were just in-between the first and last.

“Scaling the Walls,” booging with Joplin,

A little brown-haired girl brought its sounds to life.

Now it waits covered in dust

For someone to rattle its old bones again.

But love for music didn’t  die.

It transcended the boundaries of time, place.

For years now,

That beautiful brown-haired woman

Healed  children’s hearts with lively songs.

One of those small Nemo-hunters

Is sure to create even more melodies.

I won it at the county fair.

Its ivory keys may have changed someone’s life.

You know, one of the best things about aging is getting the chance to witness our children (students, nieces, nephews, neighbors, etc.) making a difference in the world.

Over 15,000 or more students have experienced the joy of music because of our “little brown-haired beauty.” Her school leadership recently said, “…As a creative, energetic, and innovative educator, Misty embodies her favorite quote from Carl Orff daily in her interactions with students: ‘Tell me, I forget, show me, I remember, involve me, I understand.’ Her unwavering dedication to her students at the Ann Arbor Public Schools has been genuinely exceptional, inspiring us all.”

Our hearts are singing today. And in celebration I’m going to try to play “It’s A Wonderful World” on that dusty old piano — even though both my bones and its will probably rattle & revolt instead of rock & roll. Ha!

It’ll Be OK.

Congratulations, Misty Noble!

~~~

“You never want to get on a plane where the pilot learned to fly from worksheets.” ~ justintarte