
At any rate, I just wanted to share another small reason I continue to do the work to learn how to play this thing. My husband and I took a trip last week and one morning in the hotel parking lot, I joined him with my horn while he smoked his cigarette. After a short while, another gent came by and sat down to smoke a little ways away from us. I asked if it would disturb him if I continued to play and he said no. A few minutes in, he complemented my playing and then said "Today was my wife's birthday." I asked about her and he said she died 2 years ago in his arms, from cancer and he was still missing her very much. As he sat there smoking, I noticed a tear rolling down his face, so, on the spot, I pulled out of my horn the tune "Happy Birthday" followed by a rendition of "Amazing Grace" (again by just thinking the tune in my head and it coming out of the horn.) He got up, walked over and thanked me and I gave him a big hug from his wife. It's a magical instrument, that horn, and I am honored that every once in awhile I can use it to bring a smile to some stranger's face.