Mom sang to me this morning.
It was a light Scottish melody, and she remembered all of the words. Kathleen listened to it too, while I held the speaker phone.
It was a light Scottish melody, and she remembered all of the words. Kathleen listened to it too, while I held the speaker phone.
Grandpa Brown taught the tune to Mom long ago. As an officer in the Salvation Army, he led Scottish troops in song during The Great War being fought in France. It was a favorite with the men and the hearty, booming sing-a-longs boosted spirits.
This morning Mom, now 90 years old, said that Grandpa had remarked to her that the Scots were industrious soldiers and seemed to get more things done than the others. Grandpa, like many Americans, had relatives on both sides of the trenches.
The song talks about being back home with family, of course, and she sang it so sweetly, apologizing after she had finished for her voice cracking a bit, but, she explained, "I didn't get a chance to warm up."
We got on the topic after I mentioned that a distant relative in Scotland had been corresponding. That seemed to please her a lot.
She has another song, she said, but wanted to save it for next time.
If you'd like to hear my mother in full throat, click on one of her video clips on the right margin. Her rendition of J.S. Bach's "My Heart Ever Faithful" has over 9,000 hits --
We got on the topic after I mentioned that a distant relative in Scotland had been corresponding. That seemed to please her a lot.
She has another song, she said, but wanted to save it for next time.
If you'd like to hear my mother in full throat, click on one of her video clips on the right margin. Her rendition of J.S. Bach's "My Heart Ever Faithful" has over 9,000 hits --
Mom may not exactly be a rock star to YouTubers, but she is to me.
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| Mom, with her "Pop" -- that's Auntie Kaye peeking around Grandpa. (Late thirties) |
