Sing Me to Heaven

Sing Me to Heaven 
Music by Daniel Gawthrop

Today I sang a song that was gifted to me by God's amazing configuration of events.

Many years ago I met a lovely woman by the name of Jean Price.  Today there was a memorial of her life in Long Beach, California, even though her death and a previous memorial had taken place in June of this year in Illinois.

Jean and I met over 10 years ago now.  My mother moved to a senior living community and Jean, a wonderful pianist and music director, volunteered there. Jean shared her gift with the keyboard and engaged with residents surrounding their interest for and desire to make music.  She led a small choir, would play piano for sing-alongs and other events and just be a friend to residents in the community. Eventually she and I collaborated on some music programs presented for the community. She was, in addition to her own impressive career as a musician, the wife of a distinguished United Methodist pastor, Rev. Preston Price.  She shared with him in partnership, as leaders in both spiritual and music communities throughout their lives.

In recent years Jean had become ill with debilitating respiratory disease. This past June, Jean died after spending time in hospice.  A couple of months ago after her passing, Preston honored me by asking me to come to California to sing for Jean's memorial as I had for the memorial soon after her death in Illinois. Jean and Preston had spent the majority of their married life since the early 80s in California, although both were raised and met in a small town in Kansas, named Winfield. They raised their children in California, and built deep relationships there in their work and communities.  After their sons, Rob and John began their life pursuits as adults, Jean and Preston moved to Illinois, where I first became acquainted with them.  I feel a special connection to this family, because their journey has led them to be colleagues and friends in very special connection with my Mom and sister as well.

Preston let me know that the choir of the church where the California memorial was to be held wasn't able to sing the selections Jean had chosen because of the choir's current configuration.   It was planned for me to sing the spiritual "Give me Jesus" as before; and she had in her planning chosen some other musical selections for the choir.  One of the pieces for choir was "Sing me to Heaven" by composer Daniel Gawthrop set to text penned by his wife, Jane Griner.  Researching I found that Daniel Gawthrop had set a solo arrangement of the choral piece that Jean had requested 25 years after his 1991 release of the original. Kimberly Grigsby, a gifted pianist, music director and friend of Jean's agreed to prepare this version and to share along with me this beautiful message at Jean's memorial today.

I have been touched by the opportunity to express my own deep connection to music over the past two weeks through study of this piece.  I understand my connection to this work even more deeply as I read Gawthrop's own telling of the story about the creation of this beautiful piece of music.  

Thank you to the Preston family who embody in all that they do the values expressed in this text.  Singing can also be seen as a metaphor for our work in human connection to one another.  I thank them also for the opportunity to celebrate Jean's life and her beliefs by presenting this extraordinarily simple, but profound statement of faith.

For those who may sometimes feel that their heart is empty and it has nothing to say about the value of their journey; know that there is a primal voice that speaks to your soul the truth that you are worth, Love, Comfort and God's eternal love.  Often our music connects us to this space.  This has been a healing message for me.

Thank you Jean!