The Old Guitar

by Raymund Tamayo

Writer’s Note: This was an entry in my journal dated October 30, 2008.

I had this guitar since 2003, December 9 to be exact. I acknowledged it as the first tangible gift God gave me, because for so many years I've been a guitarist without a guitar.

I received the Lord in my heart December 8, 2003, and the first thing I prayed for was a guitar. Back then, I thought I was the only guitar player who didn’t have his own guitar.

A day later the Lord answered and there I have it.

Just last week, after more than five years, I decided to give it away because I don’t use it anymore. All the strings were gone and there were already cracks on the neck and body. I thought I should get rid of it as it only clutters our quiet time room.

I packed it into its case and left it at the living room together with my wife’s guitar, which she wanted to get rid of also. They both had similar casings.

Her guitar was more of a mess: the fret board was already detached, and its bridge broken. I told my brother, who was living with us in the same house, he could take the guitars for himself or give it to someone else he wanted to.

He said, “Okay, I’ll take one and will give it to my girlfriend’s brother.”

I said, “Go ahead.”

Two days passed and I noticed there was only one guitar left in the living room. I was a little disappointed because I very much wanted to dispose both.

As I picked it up and opened the case, I was surprised to find my old guitar inside. I expected my brother to take it and leave my wife’s guitar because of the more obvious deterioration of the latter.

At once I heard the Lord impressed to me, “Why do you want to give away the first gift I gave you? Don’t you know it is a reminder of our reconciliation?”

So I put it right back in its proper place – inside our quiet time room.

Update: The next year, 2009, I gave the guitar away to a very dear friend after getting a new one… and told him its story.