Singing Along with Dad, Thanks to Mom

(Time to read: ~ 1 minute)

One of my most treasured childhood memories of being with my Dad is of him taking me downstairs to a Sunday School room (we lived upstairs at the time), him playing the piano and us singing hymns together.

And this memory is interwoven with other precious memories of summer mornings spent in the cool of Maritime country churches with my grandparents and sometimes some aunts, uncles and cousins, singing many of the same hymns.

The feeling I get when I remember these experiences is of deep gratitude – and of rich connection to something larger, higher and deeper than myself that includes us all.

The reason this piece is under “Daily Gratitude” rather than “My Life” is that I have the opportunity to sing along with Dad every day through the wonder of technology!

As a minister, Dad recorded many of his services. And a few years ago, my Mom went through his old cassettes and extracted just my favourite hymn parts and put them on cassettes for me, which I eventually converted to MP3 format. Because Dad was wearing a microphone during the services, his voice can generally be heard clearly among the organ and the congregation.

So, many mornings I bring my iPod into the bathroom and sing along with Dad on these recordings as I have my shower.

What a very special way to start my day! With connection to my Dad, my Mom, meaningful music from my past, and Life / God / the Universe, which for me includes all the special people I’ve ever met.

I feel so very grateful!