“O Lord, I thought the day would never come; when I could lay my burden’s down and
walk with you. And this morning as I greet the rising sun, the fondest of my dreams have all come true. The greatest friend you’ll ever find is on a lonely mountain. The highest high you’ll ever reach is when you kneel to pray. The brightest light you’ll ever see is when you close your eyes. O Lord, You are my first love and at last I realize.”
Sung by a young group of 13-19 year old teens, this ‘spiritual song’ encouraged my friends and me during the early mornings of our annual summer camp. To the best of my knowledge, Camp Blue Haven still meets during the summer months in the mountains outside of Las Vegas, New Mexico. I doubt if this song is still a favorite at CBH, but the memories and friendships that we formed there in the late 1970’s will be treasured for the rest of my life.
What about you; do you remember songs from the earlier years of your life? The quiet evenings as you sat around the living room and sang as a family. Or perhaps you were blessed to have a mother who would ‘sing you to sleep’. Some of my fondest memories are hearing my mother sing as she busied herself in the kitchen. With the window open and the sound of her “Doris Day” voice floating out into the back yard, I can still hear, “Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee…How great Thou Art“. If you don’t have memories like these it’s not too late to make them for those you love.
My wife and I made it a point to sing to our children in their early years, as they were going to sleep. After they were tucked in, the lights were out and our prayers had been said; Vicki or I would sing to the kids. That was almost 10 years ago (some how they learned to go to sleep without our songs), but one old hymn stills brings memories of days gone by. Written one hundred years ago by Austin Miles, my grandmother began this early tradition that was passed on to our children. As she rocked, I can still hear her sing, “I Come to the Garden Alone”.
Regardless the song or the number of years that have gone by, our minds race back to an earlier time when we found comfort in the words of heaven and peace and God. Even if you’ve never had the peace that comes from a melodious past, you can always lay your burden down and walk with God. When you do you too can say, “…the greatest friend you’ll ever find is on a lonely mountain…”
This is a great article! Please teach us your camp song in singing class. A favorite camp memory for me was in Rome, Italy sitting under the stars during evening devo singing ‘It Only Takes a Spark’ in Italian …. with each of us lighting a candle from one flame. At RRFE singing ‘How Great Thou Art’ while listening to the flowing river is a sweet memory too. It’s good to have hymn memories stored in our hearts!