The Music Box

It sits on the shelf now…tidily nooked in the china cupboard in my mother’s house…

But once upon a time it sat near a little girl.  A gift lovingly given to one that wasn’t to be long for this world…

{Judy sits on her mother’s vanity…reflecting}

She was only 7 at the time…blind and cancer-ridden.  The music box came during the Christmas season…a family friend seeking to give what joy he could to this dear little one so loved  by so many…her last Christmas.

Eyes that could no longer see could feel…the tiny, perfectly carved roses…the little birds perched here and there…

…miniature musicians busily playing their instruments.

Little ears could hear the sweet beautiful melody the music box was made to play…a lovely Swiss folksong.

{the sweet 1950s bedroom shared by my mother and her little sister Judy}

Time passed.  The little girl was gone now…but another little girl slept in the same room, from time to time—visits to her grandmother’s house that filled her with such joy…

   {little me}

And one of her favorite things?  The little music box that sat next to the bed…nothing was more wonderful to her than to gently wind it up with her chubby little fingers, then lay there quietly listening, while the musicians turned round and round, playing that same sweet, little tune…

The tune could be called up into her mind with perfect clarity whenever she thought of it and wherever she was during her life--no matter how far away from her grandmother’s house she was…and no matter how old she became…

And nothing gives that old girl more joy now than to carefully take that music box off of the shelf in the china cupboard whenever she visits her mother…

…gently turning the key with her older, careful fingers…eyes closed while she listens to that familiar old melody which remains the same, undimmed by the years that have rolled by…

The little music box is loved.  Loved by my mother who shared a room with her little sister Judy.  As she sits quietly and turns the key, the notes of the song remind her of that little girl she loves and misses…

{Mom winding the music box while reminiscing…}

And the other little girl—me, loves it because it never fails to remind her of being a little girl in her grandmother’s house so very long ago……………………

A little piece made this week—the music box serving as inspiration…pinks and soft blues the color scheme here…reminiscent of the beautifully painted box…

…perfectly dried, diminutive  rose buds from my garden {my mother’s favorites—Cecil Brunner}, a sweet Frozen Charlotte doll turned fairy {one of my favorite things}…little blue birds and vintage sheet music—and a key, of course…all combine to remind me of that sweet little keepsake of my mother’s…

Wishing you sweet, melody-filled memories today…

Julie

{portrait of Judy}

{“Loves Old Sweet Song” and rose images from Crafty Secrets’ “Love Mail” Creative Scraps, Frozen Charlotte and key from the Tim Holtz collection}

LiveJournal Tags: music box,Judy Ostlund,Karen Ostlund Smith,Crafty Secrets