Oh to hear her singing...

A choir sang at her wedding.  It was made up of mostly family and friends who were professional singers.  It was incredible.  But as I stood there that day, me in my clerical robe, Julie dressed in white and Tony standing beaming besider her, I wished that I could hear her singing.

I had never heard her solo.  But her voice was beautiful.  She used it to sing to sleep the child she baby sat. Mostly she used it to sing to God in praise, in prayer, in beautiful, sorrowful lament.  Whether leading with a guitar or joining her voice with a congregation, she was always part of a chorus of voices that simply, humbly, beautifully, sang.

On her wedding day, I would have liked to hear her singing.  But a choir singing over her was pretty nice, too.

Today she is in heaven.  And a choir is singing over her.  And she is singing too.  As I prayed for her these long months as she battled the cancer within her, as she fought for another day to sing lullabies to her children, to offer praise to God with Tony beaming standing beside her, I would often think, "I wish I could hear her singing."

"For you are good, for you are good, for you are good to me..." she sang to God with strength and sweetness, even when life wasn't so good. 

I wish I could hear her singing, today.  Sing, Julie, sing.

   

Comments

[Teem]

Well written and touching post. Very eloquent.

[KC]

Amen Tod.

[Steve]

With tears...Amen, Tod

[The Count]

Wow... not having seen Julie for a few years, I had no idea... although she might laugh at the idea (I think she did actually) she really taught me a lot about leading worship. I remember singing that song with her at an evening service at Hollywood Pres many years ago. It was good. She was the first person I sang with who could just sing harmonies around my barely adequate vocals and make me feel like I could sing. Her love of traditional hymns, especially "O Sacred Head Now Wounded" changed the way I looked at "praise music" forever. I did run into her at Dale Bruner's class a few years ago, and told her what she had meant to me, for which I am now even more grateful. I can't believe what a loss I feel even though I haven't seen her in so long... Thanks Tod for putting me together with her way back when, and for this touching remembrance.