Merida

Photo Credit: Kellie Mueller Photography

When I was about 11, my teacher announced that my arms had gotten long enough that it was time for me to start thinking about purchasing a full-size violin (they make violins in various smaller sizes for tiny players.)  Mom and Dad knew this day was coming and had tucked away a few dollars here and there to purchase an instrument that they hoped I'd play the rest of my adult life....or at least long enough that they wouldn't have to buy my next one if I ever decided to up-grade!  We searched long and hard and I can still picture the tiny shop in Texas where I found the violin that was perfect for me. Made in 1902 and originally purposed as a student violin for a German conservatory, it had sat in an attic for the previous 50 years, and needed a little TLC to bring it to it's full potential.  I was excited to "play it in" and hear the wood come alive.  And so it did.  And for the next 10 years it lived well as I practiced and performed many a recital and youth orchestra concert.

My sophomore year of college I joined the praise band at my church's college ministry and served there every Wednesday night and Sunday morning.  Wednesdays were particularly long as I'd take a full load of morning classes, and then dash across town to rehearsal. One ill-fated afternoon, I propped my precious violin up against a floor monitor while I took a quick bathroom break before service.  I was about 2 steps away from the fellowship hall when my friend Josh came barreling through the door...."you better come with me" he said...and steered me to the place where my violin lay shattered in a million pieces underneath our friend Win's electric bass.

No one is entirely sure what happened or how it happened or really anything about those now-infamous 5 seconds.  One person swears that Win's bass strap tore in the middle "like the rending of the temple curtain" (musicians can be a bit over-dramatic perhaps) But in any event, the bass had fallen on the propped-up violin, smashing it to bits and snapping the neck off.  It was a sad scene, and one that I reacted to with all the lack-of-grace and melodramatics you'd expect from a 19-year-old-girl.  

Fast forward a year and the same band and I (minus Win the bass-player who had since graduated and had real-life responsibilities) trekked up to Nashville, TN for spring break to dream about what life might be like if we all had music careers. {This trip is so funny to me now as I had NO idea at the time I'd actually end up in this town with a music career.}  I needed a bow re-hair...a service not performed anywhere in the state of Mississippi at the time. I pulled out the hotel phone book, looked up "music stores" (this was pre the advent of Google and the smart phone) and figured that a place called "The Violin Shop" seemed to be a safe bet.  Fred Carpenter graciously agreed to re-hair my bow while we waited and it was then that I saw the most incredible thing I'd ever seen....a violin with 5 strings.  I played it for a few minutes and KNEW that this was "the one" no matter what the price tag said.  Driving away without it that day felt like I was leaving behind a sizable chunk of my heart.

And then I proceeded to call the Violin Shop 
every. 
single. 
week. 
to see if that violin was still there.

Meanwhile, Win (who remember, was absent the day I fell in love with my fiddle) caught wind that I was pining away after some violin I'd met in Nashville and unbeknownst to anyone else, made a phone call and a big purchase. The shop was initially hesitant to sell that particular fiddle to this mysterious caller until he mentioned he was buying it for a friend whose violin he'd accidentally broken.  Thrilled that the instrument was finding a home with "the church girl from Mississippi that calls every week" they sent it Win's way via FedEx to his parent's house where upon arrival, the entire family apparently sat around the coffee table and stared at the case.  It had become a thing of legend and no one was willing to be the one to open it.

My phone rang around midnight one night.  Win wondered if I wanted to hang out...just chat...just for a little bit...he knew it was late.  My roommates of course were full of speculation as I went downstairs.  We talked awkwardly about my day, his day....he seemed a bit uncomfortable.  After about 20 minutes he said that the real reason he'd called was that he had a gift for me, reached into the backseat of his car and extracted a violin case.  And not just a case....but a case containing the very same violin I'd been praying for for the previous few months.  

To this day, every single time I play, I can't help but be reminded of the example of tremendous generosity from a friend and the provision of the Lord.  In fact, I've named my fiddle "Merida" which is the English version of the Greek "μερίδα" which basically means "My Portion" (Greek scholars, give me grace here.) I believe this violin is "the serving" or "the piece" that the Lord had prepared and set aside for me.  It is a testament to the graciousness of the Father and His nature to restore that which is broken if we seek Him...and to restore it to a place of even greater glory than it ever was before (lets just say, this new fiddle is an up-grade from the one that was destroyed.)  


**For more information on my instrument, please visit my "Fiddle & Gear" page.


Post Script - I highly recommend that all players consider musical instrument insurance as damage to an instrument that occurs outside the home or that is being used for professional use is not covered by homeowners or personal liability policies.  Trust me on this one.  My new violin is insured through Anderson Musical Instrument Insurance Solutions, LLC. I would certainly recommend them as their premiums are low and their customer service and coverage are excellent.