This past summer, my grandfather-in-law died. Jerry Olsen, known to us as "Grandpa," was a gentle, faithful man who loved his family and community. He was a devoted husband and loving parent, and I had the pleasure of knowing him for the past eleven years as a compassionate and fun grandparent who welcomed me and the other in-laws into the fold as one of his own. Many of my husband Andy's best qualities and passions come from his grandpa, including a deep love for the Church and its music.
Andy's grandparents had an electronic organ in their basement, and Andy remembers being lulled to sleep by his grandpa's gentle hymns at sleepovers with the cousins. Several years ago, Andy and I bought his grandparents' house when it was time for them to downsize, and the organ stayed in the basement. When some dear friends stayed overnight at our house earlier this summer, I rocked their baby to sleep as Andy quietly played many of those same hymns. I hope I never forget that memory, a full-circle moment of gratitude for the witness of one who has shaped our lives so indelibly.
As we approach All Saints Day, celebrated each year on November 1 and observed on the first Sunday in November, I am giving thanks for the life of Jerry Olsen. This year, he joined the company of the faithful departed, and on All Saints Sunday, we have a chance to thank God for their lives. On our November 1 Sing For Joy program, we will hear music that helps us to offer our praise. From "For All the Saints" to "Deep River," through the music of Handel, Grieg, and Howells, we will give voice through music to our own gratitude for the lives of those across time whom we have loved and who have inspired us with their witness.
As you enter into the celebration of All Saints Day, whose memory do you hold near? What music will accompany you as you remember and give thanks?
"For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
"Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!"
Blessings to you all this November,
