I met my friend Gwen for breakfast a couple of weeks ago. We ate our steel cut oatmeal with fruit and chatted for a while, then began to talk about an estate sale we had both seen online.

“They have a couple of dulcimers I would love to see,” I said. “I’ve always wanted a dulcimer.”

“It looked like a great sale,” Gwen said.

“Want to go, do you have time?” I asked.

“I’ll drive,” she said.

When we arrived, I began to look for the dulcimers. I asked one of the attendants where they were and she said they had already been sold. I was disappointed, but Gwen and I had gotten there late so I certainly understood why they would already be in the hands of another. We walked around the house and each found a few things we could use in our artsy businesses (Gwen is a potter and I am a puppeteer and storyteller.). After about 20 minutes I heard Gwen say my name. I turned to look and there, hidden behind a door, were two beautiful dulcimers. There they were, those two beauties! I took them off the wall and looked them over. The prices were very reasonable. I called another friend, Hope, who plays dulcimers and leads a dulcimer group and was relieved when she answered the phone.

“Hope, I need some help.” I said.

“Are you ok?” She sounded concerned.

“I’m fine,” I said, and went on to tell her about the instruments. “They are signed; they look handmade.”

After further conversation Hope said, “Oh, Lona, they ARE handmade. That is an amazing find! They are both worth the price. They were waiting for your to arrive and take them home!”

After a brief moment I decided to purchase them both. Gwen lovingly carried one for me and I put the other in my arms to carry to the check-out.  

I’ve wanted a dulcimer for over 20 years and now I own two! They are gorgeous and it makes me happy each time I take them out to play! I am still at the point of learning how to play them properly, but this is not all about being proper, it’s about enjoying the opportunity and the journey, and knowing that a new dream can begin at any time and any age in your life.

It’ll be a new story to tell.

Here are pictures of my new ‘babies’. I put a shoe in the top picture for scale. One is curly maple and the other is walnut.