Mom is true to her voice. She is an alto, through and through. I have never known her to sing the melody on any song where parts are called for. And she is not timid. Even now as her voice weakens, you can still hear her zestfully singing the alto and adding harmony to the beauty of the hymns that are sung at Church.
She used songs, both directly and indirectly, to teach us to get along. I think that “Love At Home” was one of her favorites because we kids were always creating unhappiness among ourselves. When problems would erupt, she would start singing that hymn just to remind us that her ideal was that we should always get along and love one another. And then we would have to join in. I’m sure that constant reminder is why I know every word of every verse of that hymn.
But she wasn’t always preaching directly. She would teach us to get along by encouraging us to simply join her in a song. When Grandpa and Grandma Syme lived in Ogden, we drove up there at least once a week, if not more. It was a 30-minute drive from Bountiful where we lived to Ogden. When we would get fidgety in the car, she would always start us singing. There are a great number of songs that she taught us that I am sure many our age don’t know. For example, a song written 10 years before I was born was very familiar to me.
Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?
A song first published in 1909 was also a favorite:
By the light, (By the light, By the light),
Of the silvery moon, (The silvery moon).
I want to spoon, (Want to spoon, Want to spoon)
To my honey I'll croon love's tune.
We know every word to many songs, not because they were popular during our
day, but because Mom taught them to us.
I see some families who, when the children become adults, just don’t get along any more. But even now, Mom’s music lessons about living in harmony as a family, have endured and kept us all together.
--Michael
