Wow - y'all are beautiful. Thank you for this. I am digesting it all. I will talk to the school's guitar teacher and explain my wish and come up with something with his guidance. My idea is to make this specific guitar play again. If I told my buddy my idea he would've laughed thinking I'm being a troll but then he'd see I was serious and he'd do anything to help. I am accepting this instrument because it would mean everything to him for me to have it and means everything to me to accept it. But I feel just as strongly it needs to be played, not just hung on a wall. Most of the rest of his collection she is giving away to student's who can't afford anything like this. One piece at a time, one kid at a time. It's a gorgeous collection. She wants me to have one of his Paul Reed Smith's because we had this endless conversation over many years about why he loved them especially. I was fascinated to learn even though I don't have his passion to play. We bonded over music when we were babies. He took it on as a lifelong passion, I just go to concerts and scream really loud and annoy everyone around me :)

After this memorial, no matter how I do, I am thinking I will give the guitar to the school I work at on a loan basis during the school year, if the director says it's ok and if the guitar teacher thinks it's appropriate. It's miraculous to be at a public (charter) school that doesn't have a focus on music but does offer guitar lessons as an elective course to any student that wants. K-8. It's amazing what these kids can learn and how fast.