Sacred Songs

Tom, Franklin and I went to Marshfield today to visit Grandpa and Grandma Breu. After dinner we went to see Auntie Vi, who is in a dementia ward of nursing home in the area. Franklin has memorized "A Child's Prayer," and will be playing it in church tomorrow. His Dad and I told him he could play it for Auntie Vi at the nursing home and when he got a bit antzy as we were trying to visit, I sent him off to find the organ in one of the side parlors.

His little fingers started in on "Jingle Bells," the second of his two memorized pieces. Our little group headed on down the hallway and sat down to listen to him play. The sound of the music brought a trickle of visitors. Tom, seeing the hopeful old faces, asked me to play. I hadn't brought any music, but there was a Lutheran hymnal there and we began looking through for songs people might know.

"How Great Thou Art" is a favorite in many churches, and I began playing it. One of the old ladies began singing when we came to the chorus, and Tom encouraged me then to sing and play, both. He started thumbing through the book looking for songs. He and Franklin passed out song books, and Franklin would help the oldsters look through the pages. I asked if they had any favorites, but since this is the dementia group, they've forgotten how to read and search and make any sort of requests for themselves.

We ended up in the Christmas Carol section. The old voices warbled and wavered, but for all that, sang with all that they had. Here they were, this group of forgotten souls, who themselves had forgotten the names of loved ones--children, spouses, siblings. And yet, when the music from their childhood was being played, they could sing along.

I was just about wiped out with "Silent Night," and turned around to face the little group, tears streaming down my face, suggesting that might be a good place to end. Tom said, "How about 'How Great Thou Art,' one more time?" It was a wonderful idea and it about did me in when they started singing the last verse: "When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation to bring me home, what joy shall fill my heart...."

For they were all them, raised in a time when Jesus Christ meant something to the American people, and they were, all them, waiting so patiently and with great faith, to be called home. It was for me, a sacred time.