The Ash Grove

Last summer I bought "The World's Greatest Songbook". It's one of those melody-only books with chord charts. They tend to be expensive when purchased new, but this one was 59 cents at my favorite thrift store.

Obviously by the title, these aren't obscure songs. One if them, "The Ash Grove" didn't seem familiar to me at all, except for the familiarity of having a song bring up sad emotions, as songs often do.

The words reminded me of what my mom experiences everyday. Maybe in my head I should change the name of her nursing home from "Heaven's Waiting Room" to "The Ash Grove".

THE ASH GROVE

The ash grove, how graceful, how plainly 'tis speaking
The wind though it playing has language for me.
When over its branches the sunlight is breaking,
A host of kind faces is gazing at me.
The friends of my childhood again are before me,
Each step wakes a memr'y as freely I roam.
With soft whispers laden, its leaves rustle o'er me:
The ash grove, the ash grove that sheltered my home.

My laughter is over, my step loses lightness,
Old countryside measures steal soft on my ear;
I only remember the past and its brightness,
The dear ones I mourn for again gather here.
From out of the shadows their loving looks greet me,
And wistfully searching the leafy green dome,
I find other faces fond bending to greet me;
The ash grove, the ash grove alone is my home.

So...

Two weeks ago, while on vacation, THGGM and I walked into a shop in Sutton's Bay. The shop keeper was playing a CD of dulcimer music, and the song that greeted us as we entered was "The Ash Grove".

I did inquire about it, and the shop keeper said that they used to sell it, but it was no longer available. She said she likes it so much that she decided to play it that day anyway.

For me, I'm sure.

When things like that occur, they never seem like coincidence to me.

I left the shop all excited to get home and check if "The Ash Grove" is on the dulcimer CD I bought a very loooong time ago.

THGGM left moaning, "I suppose you'll want to buy a dulcimer now."