086 - Chapter 86

Chapter 86: Music, music, music!

(Illustration: photo by Jackson David on Unsplash)

Bob and I were so happy to reconnect with old friends, former church friends, and folks around the doors, once we returned to Church of the Good Shepherd, but I was also about to meet some brand new friends too.

I’ve already mentioned a link I had with asylum seekers in my time as a former curate at Church of the Good Shepherd in Battle Hill, years before, but by now most of the asylum work was being carried by one main asylum centre in Wallsend, at ‘Walking With’, a place which welcomes those fleeing troubled areas from across the world, and supports them. It was a place I felt drawn to reconnect with.

The work is carried out by volunteers who do all manner of tasks, in administration, provision of food and clothing and they also befriend. What they have done over the years, and what they are doing now, is incredible.

I had no wish to do the same amount of administration work this time round, having got myself far too involved in that in the past; but what I did feel able to do once a week, was just pop in and make friends with the clients. I took my guitar with me, to facilitate conversation. In that way I could give a warm welcome to those who felt lonely and lost in a strange country, and I really enjoyed it.

I made so many new friends from overseas, all who held tentatively in their hearts such moving stories, which they often found too difficult, or too traumatic, to share, and of course there was the language barrier which often impeded communication, as all spoke so many different languages.

I began learning songs from different countries and trying to sing the them myself. Somehow through music, sign language, sketches and translators, we volunteers all managed to have conversations, believe it or not. Everyone, staff and clients, got on so well and enjoyed a cooked meal all together at lunchtime.

One day I was asked to sing one of my own songs, so I sang ‘Make time for love’. Afterwards a delightful elderly man, called Mazim, who wasn’t in the best of health but always had a smile on his face, asked for a translation. 

A young man called Mohammad offered to help:- he translated the words for him, and Mazim smiled. I asked him how he had translated it, and he replied,

'When we have love for one another, that's when God smiles" His translation gave me the inspiration for this song:-

https://www.facebook.com/sheila.hamil.1/videos/3195343837440653

‘That’s when God smiles’

When we have love for one another,

And humbly walk that extra mile,

Resisting those who would divide us,

that’s when God smiles.

When colour’s simply not a problem

And faiths all take their stand as one

In the cause of perfect justice,

That’s when God smiles

The veil’s been torn that separates us,

Let thunder peal, and walls come down

Let every trumpet blare spell freedom

As angel choirs sing along.

When roads hard travelled are acknowledged,

And worn out shoes scream of the pain,

When you take time to heed my story

That’s when God smiles.

So come my friend let’s walk together

And transform the world we know,

And speak as one a common language, of love . . .

And see God smile.

Nov 2019

One day as I was singing some songs with some children, one of the clients, a man from Pakistan asked if he could sing a song for everyone, and he looked over to me, inviting me to back him up on guitar! I was delighted that someone was actually offering to sing, but I also thought to myself, ‘But I don’t know any songs from Pakistan?” However, he asked for an American song, Lionel Ritchie’s ‘Hello’, which surprised me, so I began to play what I could remember of it. When he opened his mouth and sang out loud in his rich deep voice, everyone from all over the centre, stopped what they were doing; (sorting clothes, bagging food, preparing meals, taking details etc,) and came hurrying in to see who was singing! When he finished his song, everyone began clapping and cheering. This was Salman, whose family used to own a cinema which had played American and British films. This is how he had been familiar with this kind of song. He and his wife and family became such good friends from then on, and he later taught me a couple of songs, which we sang together in Urdu, in a Bollywood style. We both appeared on a local Asian radio station together, hosted by Dr Anand in Newcastle! Salman lives in Cardiff with his family now, I do hope he’s still using that lovely voice of his.

Others at the centre began to teach me their songs too in other languages, and we all sang together whenever there was a special gathering or festival, such as Christmas. That year, 2019, 155 people sat down for a meal together, and our songs in many languages made up the entertainment afterwards. Oh happy days. I met so many, who were to become my close friends.

Bob and I also reconnected with a different genre of music at that time.

We began visiting the Millstone Folk Club, in South Gosforth, where many folk singers, many of them quite well-known, met, sang and shared a meal together afterwards. I was really thrilled to meet up again with Stu Luckley, a friend I sang with at Wallsend Grammar School as a teenager, and who had taught me the guitar; and Marie Little; a friend and well-known singer from our visits to the Croxdale Folk circuit. I enjoyed singing there myself, and also listening to Johnny Handle, Merle White, Ingrid and Barry, and the funniest compere ever, in Dave Normanton, who wove together every song with his unique brand of humour.

Finally let me tell you about someone who had been a dear friend for some years, from Church of the Good Shepherd, who responded to music the night before she passed away peacefully.

Revd Emma Duff, and I had met up by sheer coincidence at this parishioner's home, as we both had happened to visit her at the same time. Her name was Betty. We both prayed over her, and sang to her as she lay there, unconscious. 

Sadly she passed away early that next morning, but it was so encouraging to hear her daughter tell us afterwards that Betty had woken up after we left, and told her that she had heard our prayers, and the song we sang to her! 

This had happened with my Uncle Bob too!

What a blessed way to go.