When we went to pick up Andy's accordion last Saturday, we were invited into the home of a man named Amir and his family.
We were welcomed inside and beckoned up the stairs. There were at least six accordions in immediate view and another twenty or so in the adjoining room. And yet, he still managed to pull Andy's new one out from another part of the building, implying to me that there was another small warehouse of them elsewhere.
Amir has a day job, but this is his passion. Accordion music is a slice of home to him* and something he has played for 30+ years. And he is so eager to share it with you. In fact, he not only repairs accordions, but he intends to set up a museum one day. Some of these instruments are absolutely beautiful in their design, others have long stories, some have been neglected, and others have been played to pieces.
That passion eked off of him, but so, too, did the warmth of his smile. Not only was he giving Andy plenty of time to play the instrument beforehand and get a feel for it, but he also indulged me many questions on how these instruments actually worked--I understand it well enough to give a reasonable explanation. And he insisted on feeding us, a dish from Croatia where his family came from.
His wife and daughter joined us after a while, his wife being equally friendly and welcoming. Little Norah, though, she was a shy five-year-old. Her parents apologized more than once for her shyness, but we assured back that we were not at all upset and that she could interact with us as much as she was comfortable. Shy as Norah was, she really wanted us to take some of her favorite candy with us before we left, never reaching far from her parents.
Being truly hospitable is a gift, and this family had it. It's something that Andy and I really value and certain want people to feel when they come into our home. There are degrees of hospitality, sure, but this home was overflowing. And not in that uncomfortable kind of way, where instead the welcoming becomes smothering.
That's all I really wanted to share with you, passing on that small piece of warmth to you.
*Truly, accordion music is like soccer in that it is popular everywhere else in the world except the US.
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