C3 Bell

See. Mom was a rockstar.

She came by it honestly, really. Grandpa (her dad) played accordion and keyboard in many bands despite never learning how to read music. Great-grandpa was an accomplished fiddle player. Throw in Uncle Hank with the banjo and Les to sing and you had a proper party. In fact, these are the sounds of some of my earliest childhood memories. Music. Made right in the room. By people who loved me. Family.

When mom died we talked as a family about how we wanted to honor her memory. The boys talked about some of their most treasured memories with Grandma. M's memories centered on the time spent on Grandma's lap banging on the bright orange drum kit that sat in the center of her living room where you'd expect to find a couch. B recalled rocking out to our favorite Foo Fighters song in a sing-along that only Grandma could have created. Music. With their grandma. Treasured memories.

So as a family, we all agreed that Grandma would most appreciate a tribute of music. We decided to purchase and donate the C3 bell to the St. Albert United Church handbell collection in her memory. On April 26th, 2016 the C3 bell was dedicated into service and I had the honor of being the first person to ring it in performance. We played Hallelujah by Lenord Cohen. Mom would have loved it.