Grandma's Gift at 6 Months Became a Musical Legacy

When Selby C. Hemmans Rich was born, her grandmother made a bold prediction based on one physical detail: her tiny, long fingers. At six months old, Rich received a piano, a gift that would shape her family's story for decades to come.

"Oh, she has long fingers! She's going to play," Rich's grandmother declared. She was right.

Rich began taking piano lessons as soon as she was old enough. Before that, her grandmother taught herself to play well enough to provide music for elementary school graduations and plays. The family of educators turned their home into a place where music became as natural as conversation.

The piano became more than an instrument. It became a bridge connecting grandmother and granddaughter through shared joy. "My grandmother loved to hear me play," Rich shared. "I thought it was so cool when I was able to play hymns! I could see and FEEL her joy and satisfaction."

Today, Rich plays primarily as a church musician, performing contemporary Christian music and gospel. She made it through intermediate classical studies, tackling Chopin, Mendelssohn, and Beethoven along the way.

Sunny's Take

The musical legacy didn't stop with Rich. Her son became a jazz musician, while one of her two daughters and her husband now perform nationally and internationally as Christian artists. "Their proficiency far exceeds mine," Rich said with evident pride.

When Rich's daughter was just seven or eight years old, she asked if she could inherit the piano someday. Rich didn't hesitate to say yes.

A couple of years ago, Rich invested more money than a new piano would cost to completely restore the instrument. The price tag didn't matter. Some things are simply priceless.

Rich's story resonated with others who cherish similar family treasures. Another woman named Janet Schen shared that she owns her grandmother's piano from 1920, a wedding gift from her grandfather. Though she doesn't play, she's determined to get it to her granddaughter in Minnesota who does.

"A family treasure like that has to be loved," Rich responded. That grandmother's instinct about long fingers turned six months of life into nearly a century of music, joy, and connection that will echo for generations to come.