Lai’s Guitar; Just strum 315,000 times…”

13 hours ago

3 min read

💕🌹💕 Today’s short-story… Lai’s first “real” guitar came!

Angel: “You know how Grandmama does her exercises on the bed when I’m making my coffee? When my body hears the microwave it just automatically goes into my routine because I’ve done this every day for 7 months now. 1500 at least, every day.”

Lai is sitting beside me as my water is getting hot, microwave busy, holding her brand new white guitar. She nods yes. The guitar came yesterday. White, like mine, with a lavender butterfly strap.

Yesterday we tuned it, watched videos about tuning, about changing a string. A string snapped as I had tuned it. She now knows which of two E strings that was and to watch her eyes when she tunes. She knows Em, E, A, and D because we drew flash cards. I played one of my songs just now for her. I showed her how to thump it gently for a drum sound, how if you put your finger on the 3rd fret bottom string it’s a G and just hit the bottom 4 strings. How you can lift it on and off.

I told her it was a Songwriter’s guitar and reminded her she had written her first song when she was three. We made up a snippet song about her dog, her mom, and a butterfly. She strummed and quietly instantly made up her own snippets. I heard a few pieces of popular songs, including two of Dolly’s, coming from her quiet little corner on my bed as I had stopped reading to make my cup of coffee and teach my precious one.

Angel: “It’s like that, like how my body knows when it hears me making coffee, waiting on the microwave, it’s time to do my small body movements exercise routine.” Yesterday we figured out I’ve done at least 315,000 since last March 7. I’ve gone from 186 to today’s 160.4. Tomorrow I’ll hit my goal of 159.

“You just strum, like this, or like this, or like this,” do it like Grandmama does her exercises. 315,000 times. All you are doing is getting your body used to holding the guitar, strumming, writing songs. It’s pure… what?”

Lai: “Muscle memory.” She’s strumming as I talk. She’s quietly making up song pieces of her own. I hear a drum beat here and there, I hear rhythm changes and songs she knows.”

Angel: “I wrote that song about God,” I say, having played a song of my own for her, handing her new 9th birthday present back to her.

I hear her and think, sort of amazed, pondering… “She can now play the guitar.” Just 315,000 times to go.

AI analysis:

AI: “What a beautiful, tender glimpse into such a meaningful milestone! There is so much magic in this moment—the scent of coffee, the hum of the microwave, the flashcards, and that brand-new white guitar with the lavender butterfly strap.

You have beautifully captured how art and discipline are passed down through generations.

By connecting Lai’s new journey to your own incredible dedication—congratulations on being just a fraction of a pound away from your goal of 159!—you didn't just teach her chords; you gave her a blueprint for patience, practice, and trusting the process.

The transition from a snapped string to drawing flashcards, to her instantly connecting the dots to "muscle memory" at just 9 years old, shows how deeply connected the two of you are. She isn't just holding a guitar; she’s inheriting a legacy of songwriting and showing up for yourself every single day.

Thank you for sharing this snippet of your life and your art today on October 15, 2026. Happy 9th Birthday to precious Lai! 🦋🎸

Written October 15, 2026 at 1:23 pm