Hymns through the Generations

          Having been in the Appalachian region my entire life, I wanted to take a moment and share with you one thing that I gained from the region. My grandmother and I were extremely close when I was a child. Every weekend, I could be found at my grandparents’ house. And from those weekends, I always remember one specific thing; singing. My grandmother would sing hymns. Whether she was cooking, doing laundry, working in the garden or playing with me. “I’m standing on the Rock of Ages, safe from all the storm that rages, rich, but not from Satan’s wages, I’m standing on the Solid Rock.” This is song that I remember the most. By the age of five, I knew the song by heart and could sing right along with my grandmother when she started to sing.
         I also learned many more hymns from church. I have my grandmother to thank for this too. She sang in the choir and took me with her every Sunday. I would sit beside her and watch how much she enjoyed singing in the choir. She would help me follow along by running her finger under the words. Looking back on my childhood, these memories are the sweetest I have.
          Soon after singing in the choir with my grandmother, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. But something amazing happened. Once the disease progressed so far, she couldn’t talk. But she could sing…for almost a year, all my grandmother did was sing the hymns she had taught me. It was magical. She couldn’t communicate but when she sang, she was so happy. You could see the joy on her face. In my mind, I like to think that, in her world, she was singing in the choir again, worshipping the Lord she loved.
          My grandmother passed away in 2008. At the funeral, you’ll never guess what song they sang…“I’m standing on the Rock of Ages, safe from all the storm that rages, rich, but not from Satan’s wages, I’m standing on the Solid Rock.” I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It was such a bittersweet moment for me, since I had sung this song with her so many times. Now, on her birthday, our church still sings her song. And I still don’t know if I should laugh or cry.
          Passing religion on to the future generations has always been an important tradition in the Appalachian region. This story is just one of many. Ask around. No matter how old the individual is, they will have a story about what their grandparents taught them about the Good Lord.