"Music Box Memories" by Barbara Houston

 – the music plays on

She was my rock, and my soft place to land.

Barbara Houston lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. A member of a memoir writing group, the Scribblers, she is currently writing stories about her life. After college, Barbara taught English for four years. Other career moves steered her to training and human resources. She served as Director of Human Resources at Discovery Place Museum in Charlotte for over ten years. Now retired, Barbara enjoys her writing projects, reading fiction, singing with The Charlotte Singers, spending time with family and friends, and traveling with her husband, Jerry. Barbara’s first published story “In Bear Country” appeared in the anthology Trouble.

Author’s Talk

Barbara Houston

My writing throughout my career was business related: letters, proposals, manuals.  My focus changed after I retired and took a memoir writing class. That six-week course inspired me to begin writing my memoirs. A few class participants formed Scribblers, a memoir critique group that has been meeting now for over two years. I am grateful to them for their support, encouragement, and suggestions to improve my writing.

Perhaps my desire to write is in my genes. My father, a Baptist minister, wrote five books, one about Christian salesmanship and the others about theology.  One of my brothers, who is fascinated by Elvis Pressley’s legacy, has written articles for Elvis fan magazines.

My memoirs include my childhood years, college experiences, marriage and children, career, and travel.  I have also written about people like my grandmother who influenced my life. Many other stories beg to be told about my father and Pop Paw Charley, my paternal grandfather, who was “larger than life”.

I never expected to have my work published, so I was surprised and happy when “In Bear Country”, my first attempt at publication, was included in the anthology Trouble. 

  When the Personal Publishing Project announced the topic “Curious Stuff” for their next anthology, I asked myself if I had a story to tell that would fit the topic.  After discarding several ideas, I thought about some items that had belonged to my maternal grandmother. Why not write about her music box? When I look at it with its faded beauty, it reminds me of my beloved Mom Maw, one of the most influential people in my life. That is how “Music Box Memories” was born. I wrote the story to honor her memory.—Barbara Houston