By Heart
Picking away piecemeal at the copious harvest of emotions, memories, and impressions after my mother's death doesn't seem quite right, as if momentous occasions call for momentous expressions. I can't manage grand expressions though right now, and I realize I may never be able to do so. So I'll settle for what comes to mind, banal as it is.
One overwhelming impression I have is the blessing of song--with profound words, with accessible music, sung often and learned by heart. That impression was driven home for me on the last two days of Mom's life especially. All of us who could get there gathered in Mom's hospital room for Sunday afternoon and evening and again on Monday afternoon and evening. We didn't sing all the time, but we sang a lot. No one had thought to bring along song books, so it was all from memory.
Our family is all over the map when it comes to natural musical ability, but my siblings and I all had the privilege of singing regularly as we were growing up, and we all got better at it as we got older, thanks to some good examples, good teachers, and lots of participation. Each of these singing experiences allowed a deposit in our "song bank," and made possible those hours of constant withdrawals around our mother's deathbed. Our spouses and children added their voices to the mix and helped make the songs ring.
As we sang, I didn't always travel back in memory to the time and place where I learned the songs we sang, but I did enough of that to resolve to do what I can to raise awareness of how significant these "forgettable" singing experiences can be. Songs can carry you through some of the darkest times in life, and treating singing opportunities as the treasures that they are makes good sense.
Some of the songs we sang came from songbooks we have used as hymnals in our church services. Church and Sunday School Hymnal was the first English songbook I remember using. "Glory Gates" came from that book. The next one was Church Hymnal. "Lift Your Glad Voices" came from there." Within the past year or two we have purchased Hymns of the Church. Many songs we sang came from all of these books.
When I was in grades seven and eight in school, we sang from Songs of the Church for devotions. At least one song we sang came from that book. How's that for a public school singing experience? We were blessed by having my uncle Perry as our teacher and principal. "Sunset and Evening Star" came from that book.
At Calvary Bible School we used first the Christian Hymnal and then Christian Hymnary. I think we sometimes also used Gospel Choir. Choir was a daily activity there.
At our Sunday evening youth singings we used a variety of songbooks, usually whatever the host suggested, and we sang for an hour. These included Songs That Live, which was used at Messiah Bible School at one time, Favorites, some books from the Inspiration Series, and many of the above hymn books. In recent years, Songs of Faith and Praise has sometimes been used, as has Mennonite Hymnal.
We often sang a song or two during family devotions. Sometimes they were children's songs, but often at least one hymn was included.
Students who attend Pilgrim Christian Schools learn many songs there, although I'm not aware that any specific hymnals are used regularly in the classroom. I never attended Pilgrim, but some of my younger siblings did.
Notably absent from my personal repertoire of songs-by-heart are songs I've learned from recordings or from live concerts. I won't bother to explain or defend that--only to point out that modest ability and regular participation in group singing really are sufficient preparation for times when no words seem right and some expression is called for.
I hope the people growing up now don't neglect to include lots of singing investments in this time of their lives. Needing to sing around the bedside of a dying parent is only one of the times that hymns by heart offer a rewarding return on those investments.
One overwhelming impression I have is the blessing of song--with profound words, with accessible music, sung often and learned by heart. That impression was driven home for me on the last two days of Mom's life especially. All of us who could get there gathered in Mom's hospital room for Sunday afternoon and evening and again on Monday afternoon and evening. We didn't sing all the time, but we sang a lot. No one had thought to bring along song books, so it was all from memory.
Our family is all over the map when it comes to natural musical ability, but my siblings and I all had the privilege of singing regularly as we were growing up, and we all got better at it as we got older, thanks to some good examples, good teachers, and lots of participation. Each of these singing experiences allowed a deposit in our "song bank," and made possible those hours of constant withdrawals around our mother's deathbed. Our spouses and children added their voices to the mix and helped make the songs ring.
As we sang, I didn't always travel back in memory to the time and place where I learned the songs we sang, but I did enough of that to resolve to do what I can to raise awareness of how significant these "forgettable" singing experiences can be. Songs can carry you through some of the darkest times in life, and treating singing opportunities as the treasures that they are makes good sense.
Some of the songs we sang came from songbooks we have used as hymnals in our church services. Church and Sunday School Hymnal was the first English songbook I remember using. "Glory Gates" came from that book. The next one was Church Hymnal. "Lift Your Glad Voices" came from there." Within the past year or two we have purchased Hymns of the Church. Many songs we sang came from all of these books.
When I was in grades seven and eight in school, we sang from Songs of the Church for devotions. At least one song we sang came from that book. How's that for a public school singing experience? We were blessed by having my uncle Perry as our teacher and principal. "Sunset and Evening Star" came from that book.
At Calvary Bible School we used first the Christian Hymnal and then Christian Hymnary. I think we sometimes also used Gospel Choir. Choir was a daily activity there.
At our Sunday evening youth singings we used a variety of songbooks, usually whatever the host suggested, and we sang for an hour. These included Songs That Live, which was used at Messiah Bible School at one time, Favorites, some books from the Inspiration Series, and many of the above hymn books. In recent years, Songs of Faith and Praise has sometimes been used, as has Mennonite Hymnal.
We often sang a song or two during family devotions. Sometimes they were children's songs, but often at least one hymn was included.
Students who attend Pilgrim Christian Schools learn many songs there, although I'm not aware that any specific hymnals are used regularly in the classroom. I never attended Pilgrim, but some of my younger siblings did.
Notably absent from my personal repertoire of songs-by-heart are songs I've learned from recordings or from live concerts. I won't bother to explain or defend that--only to point out that modest ability and regular participation in group singing really are sufficient preparation for times when no words seem right and some expression is called for.
I hope the people growing up now don't neglect to include lots of singing investments in this time of their lives. Needing to sing around the bedside of a dying parent is only one of the times that hymns by heart offer a rewarding return on those investments.
posted by Mrs. I (Miriam Iwashige) at
4:33 PM
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