Piano Man

Piano Man

[God] will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do.

Hebrews 6:10

As I walked through one of many parking lots at Mayo Clinic, my eyes widened. License plates from practically every state were represented on the cars in the nearly full lot. While I told my three-year-old son that we were going on a big adventure, we were actually there for specialized testing. As we waited for the test results, my heart was in my throat and my eyes burned bright with unshed tears.

Walking through the rotunda while we waited, we were drawn to the sounds of an older gentleman playing a grand piano. Everyone is especially kind to children at Mayo, and this man was no exception. He smiled gently as my son wandered over to stand next to him, and the man leaned down to whisper that he had a special song just for my son coming up next. As the notes for “Jesus Loves Me” began to fill the air, he struck up a quiet conversation with me—asking me how often we come to Mayo and telling me that he volunteers to play every Wednesday at noon.

In this stranger, I recognized the love of my Savior. He faithfully comes to play, to smile, to whisper words of encouragement in this place where nearly every visitor walks the hallways in the midst of a medical crisis; good news and bad all mixed together.

His sacrifice of time, his musical gift, and his kind words brought peace and reassurance to my heart that no matter the test results that awaited us, my son was loved by not just my husband and me but by our Savior.

While I cannot remember the Piano Man’s real name, my memory of him is vivid, and I think of him often as a faithful example of someone who shone with the love of Christ in a place where desperation and hope, despair and joy, and mourning and rejoicing so often walk the hallways side by side.

—Julie

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Pray about how you can use your gifts and talents to reveal the love of Christ. Find one small step you can take toward using your gifts to encourage and serve others.