Left behind

Many years ago, my daughter’s roommate left this beautiful vase behind when she moved out of our home. I loved it the first time I saw it, but because at that time it wasn’t mine, I could only look at it! Years after the roommate moved out, I tried to return it to her, but she didn’t recognize it. How could someone not remember an object this beautiful?!

I love the smooth, round shape. It is made of wood, probably hand-made. The soft brown colour reminds me of walks in the forest.

Today I have been thinking of how easy it is to forget about items that are so precious to others. The same goes for people…how often do we meet someone then quickly erase them from our memory.

I have taught probably close to a thousand students in my 40+ years of teaching private lessons, but I could probably only name about 50. Some study for a month or two, others have been with me for years. I remember many of the them by name, while some I can only recall the circumstances.

One such child was a student of mine for about 4 months. I don’t remember her name, although I do remember her father’s restaurant, and the swing in her back yard where she would go before and after our lessons. Her mother had died and her dad wanted to give her the very best of everything. Unfortunately, the trauma of losing her mom caused this precious child to stop talking. After 4 months of absolute silence from her, I realized that I couldn’t help her, and gave up.

I don’t know how the wooden vase took me to that young child, but it did.