My Mother's Favorite Song

Tender Stories of Home to Deepen Your Faith

By John William Smith
Howard Publishing Company, $15.95

ISBN 1-878990-46-2

Blessing of Memories and of Mothers

Review by Joella Harrison

The second Sunday in May was established as Mother's Day in 1908, and has been celebrated since the days of the Civil War when President Lincoln instituted the occasion to honor mothers. John William Smith begins his new book My Mother's Favorite Song with a memory of his mother that reminds all of us why mothers should be honored.

As he recalls, his learned the song "When I Get to the End of the Way" from hearing his mother sing it. It was her troubled song, the one she sang as she worked at canning, sewing, cooking, cleaning, or doing dishes, and the words gave her hope and purpose. The chorus ends with these lines: "And the toils of the road will seem nothing, when I get to the end of the way."

Smith says it's only now that he understands the song, knowing he is a pilgrim and a stranger in this life but being filled with an aching joy for the very presence of Jesus. Far from a dirge, the song denotes his victory through Christ over the world, as well as that of the thousands of other redeemed souls.

On this firm foundation, Smith begins a series of personal stories under 12 broad headings including Marriage, Forgiveness, Kindness, Providence, Grace, Humility, Life, and Death. Each account is rich in thought-provoking detail; Smith obviously remembers events and people well. He often laughs at himself as he tells stories of young love, parental love, stories about bird dogs, a resurrected duck, a pregnant wife, and seeing his son off to college.

Especially moving is the story of his grandmother, a Canadian, who had become bitter and cynical. He recalls trips to see her with his mother and hearing of the hard life she lived when she came to Detroit as a child. Most of all, he recalls his mother's telling the story of her faith, of her believing and obeying the gospel the very first time she heard it. That is how Smith learned that "circumstances can change people." He urges parents to tell their history in such a way that God's providence is evident to their children.

A preacher and teacher for over forty years, Smith has received many honors, both as a speaker and a writer. He has taught at the senior high and college level, and his wife Judi teaches first grade. They have four children.

My Mother's Favorite Song has many touches that add to the moving content and make it ideal for giving as well as personal enrichment. And Mother's Day 1996 will be here soon.