Anne Dionne
My son was a very active toddler. It was difficult to sit with him and read, so at bedtime we would often lie in his bed together and sing. One of our favorite songs was “The Rainbow Connection.” The other was a hymn that I learned at my church, The Prayer of St. Francis (Make Me a Channel of Your Peace). Every night I would sing these two songs to Michael, and he would quietly settle down to sleep.
Time passed and Michael grew to be a teenager. One day while riding in my car, he asked what the name of the song was that I sang to him so long ago. I came up with “The Rainbow Connection,” and he responded, “No, the peas song!” Frankly, I couldn’t remember what song he was referring to. One day while attending Sunday Mass the congregation sang the hymn, The Prayer of St. Francis. I received a quick jab in the ribs from Michael who stood next to me. “That’s it! That’s the song!,” he proclaimed. Of course, he was remembering that we sang “Make Me a Channel of Your PEACE.” I found it incredible that he would remember 14 years later a ritual we’d enjoyed when he was two years old!
When Michael died suddenly in a car accident at age 19, the Prayer of St. Francis was at the top of the list of songs which I requested for his funeral. Although I was numbed by the shock of my loss, I sobbed through the music as my heart broke with the memory of that two year old.
One year after Michael’s death, we attended the graduation ceremony for his sister who was receiving her Master’s degree at a public institution. To our complete surprise and amazement, the college president opened the ceremony with…The Prayer of St. Francis! Two years later, one of Michael’s best friends was getting married, and my husband and I were invited to the wedding. Notorious for arriving at the last minute, we were ushered to our seat just ahead of the bridal procession. As we walked down the aisle…The Prayer of St. Francis! Now, it’s not uncommon for that hymn to be sung during Catholic Mass; however, it’s quite uncommon for a wedding ceremony–and I found the timing of it very peculiar (the bride and groom were not aware of the significance of that song to our family). My husband has always been a skeptic when it comes to religion and/or spirituality. Even he had nothing to say as we approached our seat at the wedding.
Some things are just too strange for coincidence!
