A Constant Companion

 

After spending an extended period of time being house-bound due to a sinus infection, getting outside even for a little while has been wonderful.  Just a short walk around our path in the backyard has re-energized me and afforded opportunities to enjoy some of the last blooms of the season close at hand—a different view than the one from the window of the sunroom.

A mysterious white oval on the gravel path that had looked like a fried egg turned out to be a large mushroom, about three inches tall!  And I discovered a patch of light purple penstemon previously unseen, along with flowers on the purple sage still hanging on at the beginning of fall.

After taking the path around the perimeter of the garden late one afternoon, I sat down on the prayer bench in a corner of the yard and closed my eyes. Of course, there was the background noise of traffic and dogs barking, but after a bit I heard the sound of a blue jay calling in the cemetery next door, then the tinkling sound of the two windchimes hanging from metal posts near my bench.  I smiled, still with eyes closed.

Al and I had bought one chime in memory of our beloved daughter Shanda, and the second after our doggie companion, TJ, passed away. I seldom am near enough or quiet enough to hear them, and from the house it’s impossible. The breeze that played its tunes on the chimes blew against my face, and the last rays of the sun enveloped me in a soft golden light.

There in our small backyard garden, I felt like I was sitting in the presence of the Lord, basking in love and light. The burdens of sickness, worry and of not being able to keep up with planned activities seemed to slip away during that time.  

One of the favorite hymns of Al’s mother, Charlotte Lowery, was “In the Garden,” written by C. Austin Miles, American gospel hymn writer. Al remembers being at the home of his grandmother Myrtle, Char’s mom, and listening to Grandma Myrtle sing and play that hymn on her piano.

Charlotte grew up hearing it, memorizing it and loving it. Maybe the song was an influence in Al’s passion for being outdoors in nature and also gardening! I certainly have been the grateful recipient of the fruit of his labors!

Grandma Myrtle owned an edition of hymns and the stories behind the hymns, which has been passed down to us, Forty Gospel Hymn Stories, by George W. Sanville (1943). I’m sure she probably played many of the songs from that book on the piano, including “In the Garden.”

This heartfelt hymn was inspired by a vision C. Austin Miles had of Jesus, while he was sitting in his photographic studio of all places…not outside as one would expect. He was reading the story of Mary Magdalene as told in the Gospel of John, and her encounter with the risen Jesus at the garden tomb.

Mary Magdalene along with a small group of women had gone to the tomb early on Sunday morning, carrying spices to anoint Jesus’ body. When they discovered that the stone guarding the entrance had been rolled away and that the sepulcher was empty, Mary ran to tell Simon Peter and John. The disciples rushed to the site, discovering that what she had told them was true.  

In his vision, Miles saw himself no longer in the studio, but standing on a path lined with olive trees. The path led into a garden, and in the pre-dawn darkness he could see a tomb. Two men peered into the tomb and left, but a woman stayed behind, weeping. It was Mary. Then suddenly she saw Jesus standing before her and kneeling down, cried “Rabboni,” Aramaic for “teacher.” (John 20:16 NIV)

Miles also recognized Jesus, and waking up from the vision wrote down the words to the hymn. Later that evening, he composed the music, attributing the beloved hymn to his powerful experience.

 The words he wrote portray Christ as our constant companion, walking and talking with us, enveloping us in His love and filling us with joy. So true! May these become our words as well!

“And he walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own,

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

none other has ever known.”

(chorus from “In the Garden” by C. W. Miles 1940)