Waypoints: 30 Days of Gratitude

This month, Moteventure turns its compass toward the quiet power of thankfulness. Waypoints: 30 Days of Gratitude is a daily storytelling journey through resilience, grace, and the moments that anchor us. Each post will be a marker — a pause along the path — where gratitude reveals itself in unexpected ways. From small gestures to life-altering kindness, these stories invite reflection, connection, and a deeper appreciation for the light we find (and share) along the way.

Every path has its waypoints. If gratitude lit yours, leave a note beneath this post.

The Piano in the Field

In the spring of 2018, a farmer named Luis was walking the perimeter of his property in rural Nebraska after a heavy storm. His land stretched for acres — mostly cornfields, bordered by a thin line of trees. As he rounded a bend near the eastern edge, he stopped.

There, in the middle of the field, stood a piano.

Not a keyboard. Not a broken upright. A full grand piano — legs intact, lid closed, polished black finish gleaming in the morning sun. No tire tracks. No footprints. Just the piano, sitting on a patch of flattened grass.

Luis thought it was a prank. He called his neighbor. No one knew anything. He posted a photo online. Theories poured in: art installation, viral marketing, alien drop-off. But no one claimed it.

Eventually, Luis had it moved to his barn. It was in surprisingly good condition. A local piano tuner came by, intrigued, and after a few hours of work, declared it playable.

Luis didn’t play. But his daughter, Maria, did. She’d stopped after her mother passed away — said the music hurt too much. But when she saw the piano, she sat down. And played.

She played for hours.

Luis said later, “I don’t know where it came from. But it brought something back.”

The mystery was never solved. The piano stayed in the barn. And every Sunday, Maria played — sometimes for the family, sometimes just for the wind and the fields.

Gratitude doesn’t always come with answers. Sometimes it arrives unannounced, in the middle of a storm-cleared field, waiting to be heard.