Will the circle be unbroken by and by, by and by.
There’s a better home a waiting in the sky, in the sky.
I stood between my grandmother and granddaddy during the hymn singing and, although they each held a hymnal with the words and music, we all knew the songs by heart. I had to know them from memory since I was so young I couldn’t read yet, but my grandparents could have definitely read the words. They had sung the songs so many times during their lives, though, they didn’t need them. My granddaddy sang the melody, and my grandmother sang harmony or what I later learned was the alto part I tried to imitate for the rest of my life.
…we sang the songs of childhood, hymns of faith that made us strong…
My daddy was the song leader in the Richards Baptist Church in the 1950s. The Richards Baptist Church was a small congregation of 50 – 60 members that met on Sunday mornings for Sunday School and worship services, Sunday nights for Training Union and another worship service, and on Wednesday nights for prayer meetings plus a business meeting one Wednesday night a month. My mother played either the black upright piano to the left of the small raised platform where the preacher and my daddy sat and stood up when they had something to say or she played the little pretend church organ to the right of the raised platform. I could barely see Mama even when I stood to sing from my seat with my grandmother and grandfather on one of the hard wooden pews toward the middle of the tiny sanctuary; I could always see and hear my daddy.
My maternal grandmother had a particular place she sat every Sunday morning during the worship service – a place down closer to the front of the church, but she always sat alone. My mother’s two brothers sat in different places every Sunday, but my Uncle Marion sat on the back row since he was late coming in from standing outside smoking that final cigarette. My Uncle Toby also sat by himself closer to the front but on the opposite side of the church from his mother.
One by one their seats were emptied, one by one they went away.
Now the family is parted, will it be complete one day?
My family members in that little Baptist Church are, indeed, gone. But the circle of life and family is definitely not broken for me. Hallelujah! There’s good news for the whole family when the circle is complete.
Drew with his daughter Ella as his mother NanaPretty smiles at them both
NanaSlow holds Ella as NanaPretty keeps smiling
When Ada R. Habershon penned the lyrics in 1907 to the song Will the Circle be Unbroken, she had no way of knowing what an iconic gospel and country music song this would become. From remote churches like mine in the piney woods of East Texas to the center stage of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee this song spoke to individuals and the masses. Her original lyrics changed through the years as different performers rewrote them, but the question remained the same.
Will the circle be unbroken by and by? Regardless of time or place, the answer is yes.
Stay tuned.
I'll Call It Like I See It 
So moving. Love to all of you.
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Thanks so very much, Cindy. It really is a moving experience.
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Hope Mama is recovering well. You’re all obviously on cloud nine too! Lovely post.
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Mama is recovering well – as Drew said her delivery was “instantaneous” – pushed twice and out she popped! We are all on cloud nine – such a mixture of family members all vying for the same cell phone camera shots!!
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That was an easy birth!
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Congratulations to the whole family! How wonderful! (And a wee touch jealous). Beautiful story, too. Such a musical family you were born into. That touch about the final cigarette—perfect.
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Thanks so much, Luanne – and yes, I came from a musical family. I’m afraid I didn’t appreciate it as a child. I guess I was immune to the talent. And always a constant struggle with my mother who made me practice the piano 30 minutes every weekday from the time I was 5 years old. I begged to be let outside to play to skip that piano lesson every day.
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I can understand that. I would have felt so rebellious!!! As it is, even when I was lucky enough to get weekly piano lessons from age 10 on, I never practiced until right before my next lesson!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Hilarious!!
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Mom didn’t think so!
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Congratulations!!!!!!
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Your memories of your grandparents in church certainly reminds me of mine. Since they’ve been gone things many things have changed. They were definitely the glue that held our family so close. Now that I’m a grandma I make sure mine knows the names and memories I shared with them. Family traditions some are made to be broken but most are to be carried on! I remember teaching my daughter the art of canning, that was a proud day for me! I’m more impressed that she does this every summer and fall! Congratulations on Miss Ella! Being a grandparent is the gift that keeps on giving!
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Thanks so much, Cindy….I’m so glad these words brought back your own memories. Yes, that generation was the one that held families together for sure. I think you’re right about being a grandparent!!
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Aww…how wonderful ❤ What a purrecious little girl ❤ Good Luck Pawkisses to all of you🐾😽💞
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Thanks so much, Granny and Binky!
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