The Farewell

 

Standing in front of cute Mousehole Harbour

Amazing Grace

We made our way toward Mousehole Harbour last evening, blanketed by the gleaming sea and sky you can find only in Cornwall. We did this in order to listen to our favorite choir, in concert, in all their glory. Just getting there and finding parking was a tough-ish job, (thank you Rosie), but absolutely worth it because the Mousehole Men are great. 

Once the drive, and the parking, and the (short) walk along the harbour were accomplished, we began to hear voices. In 4 part harmony, and then in 6 part, the favorite song of millions rang out across that harbour. "Amazing Grace".

As they sang, my eyes drifted across the faces. I know a lot of them. Several have driven me up the hill to the church at Paul on Monday nights, and I am loyal to them for it. You have heard how fun those rides are, and how the men riding along always kept us current on the latest.

Last year I got to know Jeff, a choir member who struggled with cancer but didn't let it keep him from singing. He rode along with my kind driver Matthew, and had a sweet attitude to this crushing situation. 

Last week I noticed that his spot in the car was empty.

"Where is Jeff?" I asked, fearing the worst.

"Jeff is very poorly now," said Matthew. "In fact, I'm sorry to say that he has only 3 days to live."

John, Matthew, and I let the car settle into a silence as we thought about Jeff's kind smile, and his humor, and the fact that he never complained. At the end of the concert, the director shared with the audience what we did not want to hear -  that Jeff had passed away. His favorite song had been "You'll Never Walk Alone", and the choir chose to sing it to Jeff as a Farewell.

(please turn up the volume, for I was a distance from the choir)

The concert had begun with Amazing Grace, and ended with "You'll Never Walk Alone". 

They could not have chosen better.

See you along the Way!

the SconeLady