It’s the time of year for Harvest Festivals and Harvest Suppers. And last weekend was my first (of both) for the season. One of my little chapels chose to have their Harvest Supper on a Saturday evening. The meal was to be preceded by some entertainment from a local town.
The meal although simple was delicious and the choir were very entertaining. They concluded their set with an arrangement of “What a wonderful world”. The song made famous by Louis Armstrong in the 1960s.
I was asked to give a vote of thanks at the end of the concert and I mentioned that “What a wonderful world” is special to me. It is the first “pop” song I really remember. And my memory is of my beloved Aunty Lou playing the single on her Dansette record player for me to listen to. I would have been aged around 4 (The song came out in 1967 – do the maths.)
I’ve always liked it. And it has stayed with me for 50 years. It even redeemed an “Alternative Worship” evening over a pub in Gloucester when I was training for the ministry. (The song was put to images of the world and space played on a continuous loop on a laptop with the “worshipper” wearing headphones and looking at the screen.)
Over the last 3 years I’ve thought about the song many times and listened to it from time to time. For despite Brexit, despite wars, despite hurricanes, despite my sudden illness and my ongoing disability, despite, despite, it is a wonderful world. It is a wonderful world full of beauty and good people.
Unfortunately, all too often we don’t see it. Our news is full of the bad stuff. And we are too busy to appreciate our world and its wonder.
I think I may have said before in this (very) occasional blog, that I am grateful for something my illness and disability have given me. That I need to go slow. I can’t rush. I have to sit and watch and wait. I’m amazed at how this has happened. I always liked being busy and doing things. Now I enjoy “being”.
We have just come back from a much-needed holiday in France. One day I went with my wife, our friends and their dog to a lovely beach on the Normandy coast. It is surrounded by magnificent sand dunes. The hope was that I’d be able to go on to the beach with my mobility scooter. (As an aside, disabled access in France isn’t good.) It wasn’t possible. So, I sat on a folding chair while the three of them went off along the beach.
They were gone or an hour. But I didn’t mind. I’d enjoyed watching people and dogs wandering along. I’d enjoyed the boats out at sea. I’d enjoyed the birds (including my favourite seabird, an oystercatcher.) What a wonderful world!
Just yesterday, I went along to a club for older people called Monday Morning Mingle. The people that attend are mostly on their own, so they enjoy sitting around talking and taking part in the craft activities. A couple of the leaders of the group mentioned the harvest supper and the concert and “What a wonderful world.”
Spontaneously one of the oldest members, Ivy, started to sing the song very quietly. Gradually the chat faded as the others realised Ivy was singing. She sang it through perfectly and with real meaning. For a moment I saw the world through the eyes of this 90 something lady and I had a tear in my eye for the beauty of the moment.
I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
The colours of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do
They're really saying I love you
I hear babies cry, I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll never know
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
Yes, I think to myself what a wonderful world
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: George Weiss / Robert Thiele
What A Wonderful World lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Concord Music Publishing LLC, Carlin America Inc, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
