What a blast from the past with the first Memorial Day parade in Cheshire since 2020. We dusted off the float pieces, pulled out the fabric, wheeled out the trailer and hosed down the truck. We did the math and realized we marched in our first Cheshire parade 20 years ago…we were all a bit smaller back then! This year, Matthew and N’gella were away visiting family and Joel and Kathryn needed the extra nap time for their girls, so we had plenty of elbow room for our orchestra in the trailer. (We appreciate Elizabeth’s lone violin making us an orchestra instead of a band! 😉 ) By the end of the parade route we were getting a bit sore but managed to squeak out the last few notes of the Marine Hymn while passing the grandstand. Whew, made it through!
That same day, we drove down to Bridgeport, Connecticut to visit the grave of Fanny J. Crosby, the blind hymn writer from the 1800’s. We found the original headstone, a small simple stone stating: Aunt Fanny – she hath done what she could. A larger headstone, erected in more recent years, pays fitting tribute to her influence among the church through her songs. We stood around the grave, enjoying the beautiful grounds and summer breeze, singing through our favorites: All The Way My Savior Leads Me, Pass Me Not, Will Jesus Find Us Watching, Blessed Assurance, Praise Him, Praise Him and more. It was a sweet time of remembrance and worship of our Lord.
“All the way my Savior leads me,
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercies
Who through life have been my guide?
Heavenly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell,
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.”
-Fanny Crosby