She grew up watching her mother teach music, remembering the mother at the piano and hearing lessons through the wall. The mother's teaching career began in her teens and later shifted from private lessons to directing music at a local church, where she led the big band, directed the choir, and played piano in services. In 2019, at age 64, the mother retired and embraced grandmothering, spoiling grandchildren and taking spontaneous outings. After retirement, she realized she still wanted to work and applied to be Volunteer Supervisor at John C. Lincoln hospital, surprising family with the choice of a new field.
I grew up watching my mom teach music. My first memories are of my mom at the piano, her fingers pounding out rich chords and melodies. I could even hear it through the wall as I drifted off to sleep at night. Her office, located in our renovated garage, was the only air-conditioned room in our Phoenix home, so I'd often sneak out there as she taught lessons to cool off.
I loved watching her work. She'd been teaching since she was a teenager, and many of her students went on to follow careers in the music field. While I was in college, she shifted from private teaching to directing music at our local church. She led the big band, directed the choir, and played the piano - often in the same service.
In 2019, when she turned 64, she retired. By then, we were next-door neighbors, and she threw herself into being Grandma - oversnacking my children with giant chocolate bars and whisking them away on spontaneous trips to Home Depot with her to pick up potting soil. Her 50 years of teaching had come to an end, but in our quiet conversations over coffee, she often let it slip, "I'm not sure I'm finished - but what's next? I have no idea!"
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