That being said, I thought the best way I could honor her would be to arrange a version of her favorite hymn, Teach Me To Pray. Here it is.  We miss you, Memommy.

Teach Me To Pray

Teach me to pray, Lord, teach me to pray;
This is my heart-cry day unto day;
I long to know your will and your way;
Teach me to pray, Lord, teach me to pray.

Power in prayer, Lord, power in prayer!
Here ‘mid earth’s sin and sorrow and care,
Men lost and dying, souls in despair;
O give me power, power in prayer!

Refrain
Living in you, and you in me
Constant abiding, this is my plea;
Grant me your power, boundless and free,
Power with men and power with Thee.

My weakened will, Lord, you can renew;
My sinful nature you can subdue;
Fill me just now with power anew;
Power to pray and power to do!

Teach me to pray, Lord, teach me to pray;
You are my pattern day unto day;
You are my surety, now and always
Teach me to pray, Lord, teach me to pray.

Instead, I have for you a song from my album.  It has resonated with me recently, so I thought I’d share it.

Hit and Miss

Never knew what it felt like to be a wreck
Always lived safe and slow
Swerved to miss a dead possum dead in my tracks
Hit a telephone pole

I never believed that someone like me would ever end up in this kind of shape
But who am I, anyway?

Never knew what my blood tasted like till today
It’s all over my face
And it’s all over my formerly white linen self
What ironic disgrace

I never believed that someone like me would ever end up in this kind of shape
But who am I, anyway?

I thought I was strong enough
I guess I was wrong enough

I never believed that someone like me would ever end up in this kind of shape
But who am I, anyway?

Never knew what it felt like to be a wreck
Never knew what it felt like to live so slow

Love Dies Slowly

You wonder if it’s love or some other affection
Well if you’ll shed some blood, then there is one sure way to know

Love dies slowly, love dies slowly

Shoot it with a gun, or stab it with a shovel
No matter how you get it done, love’s got a stubborn will to live

And that’s why love dies slowly, love dies slowly

So if you want the facts and if you’ve got the courage
Go on and swing the axe and kill your curiosity

Remember: love dies slowly, love dies slowly

Today’s song is New-Years-Day-appropriate for two reasons:  1. It’s about change, and  2. it’s proof that you can accomplish something with a little resolve, even if it takes forever.  I started writing this almost two years ago, sharing an unfinished version in a previous post.  Since then I’ve revisited it a few times.  And this is where I landed.  Hope you enjoy.  And Godspeed with your resolutions (or hopefuls).

1999

It was so long ago
We barely can remember what we said
The pain, it pierced too deeply to forget
But we barely can remember what we said

It was so long ago
We wonder why forgiveness is so far
Why all that seems to grow are all these scars
We wonder why forgiveness is so far
Is it so far?

We’re stuck in 1963
The start of our shattered history
And I want out of here
Fast forward, it’s 1999
And we can change this story line
Start it over here

It was so long ago
We don’t believe it’s ever gonna change
We think we’ll live forever in these chains
We don’t believe it’s ever gonna change
But it can change

We can’t win unless we lose our victory rights
Forgiveness hurts, forgiveness kills and brings new life

It’s not worth living life this way
It’s not worth living life this way
It’s not worth holding onto pain
If it means losing one more day

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave.

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

So anyway, hope you enjoy this.  Oh, and I’m actually playing live in a couple of weeks!  On Friday May 9th at the Channel with Jacob Johnson…and then again on May 10th at Paris Mountain State Park with Jonathan Edwards.  Both should be fun, so come if you can.

And as the days, they roll away
Like the ocean’s waves of gray,
I dig to find myself in grains of sand.
Forget to look into the sun.

Who am I now, and have I run so far
That I can’t tell myself from these dying stars?
I feel so lost, and I would throw all I have off the edges of all I knew
To be lost in you.