The last time I visited my parents was the first time my dad said, “You could leave that harp down here for your mother to play.” I had offered to leave a harp before, but Dad had always declined. I’m not sure what was different this time and made him open to that idea. Perhaps he saw that Mom stayed engaged for awhile and she didn’t feel inhibited.
I didn’t leave that harp, but said I’d bring a different one that had a larger base and was more stable. I brought my 1985 Triplett Celtic harp that has 34 strings. I bought it from my friend Mark, and it has no case. So when I came in the front door with harp in the original shipping box my dad said, “That is too big.” My mom was so excited and just kept saying, “This is perfect.” As I took the harp out of the box, Dad repeated, “That is just too big,” while Mom danced around the harp saying, “Not for me!”
Dad relented saying, “Well, we’ll give it a try and see how it goes.”
