Son finds touching note sent to his struggling mother ‘forgiving trumpet debt’

29 August 2024, 10:56 | Updated: 29 August 2024, 16:05

When a mother hit hard times and could no longer afford to pay for her son’s rented instrument, the owner of a Florida music centre saw more than finances, and responded with moving generosity.

In a young musician’s life, there’s often a moment of support, encouragement or inspiration given by a teacher, parent or an older player. But for Jacques Ruffin it came from a music store owner – and the youngster did not know about it for years.

In 2018, when he was aged 21, Ruffin was cleaning out the hallway closet of his family home and found a 2009 letter which was addressed to his mother. He then shared it in a Reddit post, which is well worth revisiting, that went viral.

“Found an old letter sent to my Mother who was struggling to make payments on my trumpet,” he said. At the time Ruffin would have been aged 13.

Allegro Music Centre is a music shop based in Casselberry, Florida. The centre offers musical instruments and band equipment for sale and rent. They had received the message that a mother was no longer able to pay the rental for her son’s trumpet, which would have to be returned, meaning the young musician was to be parted from his musical instrument.

However, the centre’s owner James W. Jones had other ideas. Read his reply to the mother below, which was filled with touching generosity and feeling.

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“I have decided to forgive the rent on Jacques' trumpet,” Jones said in his reply. “You do not have to pay me any more for the trumpet. It is yours to play.”

“However, if Jacques drops out of band and stops playing the trumpet, will you return it to me so I can give it to some other deserving student,” the owner stipulated.

“I have been through bad times like you,” Jones added. “But remember Tough times never last, Tough people do. Maybe, you can help some other student someday when times are better.”

When the letter went viral, it was spotted by a close relative of the owner of the music centre. “This is my father-in-law, guys! He is every bit as kind and selfless as this letter makes him out to be!” Others then piled in with praise for its magnanimous manager. The store revealed they were flooded with messages as the post was shared around the world.

Other Redditors took the opportunity to share musical generosity towards their own families when they struggled to make ends meet.

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“My dad died when I was eight and my mom couldn't afford my piano lessons anymore,” shared user Boygirlwhatever. “My piano teacher then gave me free lessons all the way till I graduated from the Canadian Royal Conservatory of Music at 14. She was a renowned pianist and easily charged a lot for lessons but she kept helping us out. It was a huge contribution to my life and I never forgot it.”

Following the huge interest in the viral letter, Jacques Ruffin revealed the importance of the gesture and thanked Jones for giving him “the gift of music”, which he said opened so many doors in my life.

“I really appreciate what he did. He is a hero in my eyes,” Ruffin said.

When we shared this story once again on Classic FM in summer 2024, the post received another message about James W. Jones.

“This letter was written by my grandfather, Jim Jones,” the reply said on Instagram “We lost him in March. He was humble, generous, and kind. He never looked for praise or recognition, he just wanted everyone to have the opportunity to play and love music.”

What an incredible man.