Unforgetable Harry . . .
~ That individual we occasionally meet along
life’s pathway and he or she leaves an
unforgettable impression in our memory.
One that comes to mind in my personal ex-
perience that has stayed with me in just that
very way brings back memories of “Harry.” I
don’t recall a last name – it was always just
Harry. Harry came into our lives quite
unexpectedly one day somewhere on a back
country road between Dixonville & the Calvary
Baptist Church in Buck Run, PA. He had attended
our church on a number of occasions. We had
noticed him only by his looks. Although we
never knew, or even inquired about, how old
he was -- where he lived -- or where his family
was. Harry looked to be, as I recall today,
to have been about 20 - 25 years old. His
clothes were a bit disheveled in appearance.
He obviously had never shaved. Really, I
suppose, he never needed to. His facial hair
was visable in splotches. As I recall it was
most noticable just below his bottom lip.
There was a patch of a few number of hairs
about three quarter of an inch long.
One Sunday morning, after we became familiar
with Harry occasionally attending church,
we came upon him walking along the back
road Dad usually drove as we went to
church services in Buck Run. Dad stopped
the 48 Chiv and ask him if he would like
a ride. The distance was about 5 ˝ miles
between Dixonville and Buck Run. He seemed
delighted and got in.
From then on for some time to come Harry would
be outside our home nearly every Sunday
morning and evening ready to go to church.
One day on the way to church Harry ask dad
(he was the Sunday School Superintendent)
if he could sing at Sunday School opening.
Dad seemed hesitant but said, “Yes, that
would be nice.” So, that very morning,
Harry was ask to come to the front of the
church to “Bring us a special in song.”
Now harry spoke in broken sentences missing
words and you had to more or less know what
he was talking about to understand him when
he spoke. He got up from that seat that
Sunday morning and walked to the front of
the church, stood in the middle of the isle,
and even though the lady that played the
piano had her hymnal in hand ready to find
the music, Harry just began to sing. This
is where the unforgettable came into play
in my mind. He sang “The Old Rugged Cross.”
Somewhat like Gomer Pile – the quality of
his voice and accuracy of his singing the
words were – somewhat amazing. I heard a
song on-line last evening, “Amazing Grace,”
that brought this memory back to my mind.
Without a flaw and without accompaniment,
he sang beautifully. That morning, everyone
in church was surprisingly blessed.
Before this occasion happened many at the church
seemed uncomfortable having him sit in a pew
near him. Often a family would come into the
church and when they saw where Harry sat, even
though the pew had been the roosting place for
years, they would quietly find another place to
sit. Harry never seemed to notice. But when
Harry was ask to sing everyone in the church
would become hushed and listen to him in
amazement. The only time they would appear
uncomfortable would be when Harry would give
testimony of his experience with Jesus Christ.
The broken speech pattern seemed to make
everyone uneasy – that may have been because
Harry’s relationship with our Lord seemed
deeper that most – and he seemed to want to
share that relationship with us.
Harry was unforgettable . . .
Harry was unforgettable . . .
--b craig
Amazing Grace: http://www.andiesisle.com/AmazingGrace.html
This is an awesome song. I hope you listen to it!
If I Die Before You Wake
Praise Be to God - it has nothing to do with race,
it has everything to do with grace!
"He paid a debt He didn't owe,
Because I owed a debt I couldn't pay!"
--CPN 2003
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