Henry T

My dad had always wanted to die in the pulpit, doing what he loved best. I told him that I could arrange that any Sunday. I am still sure that there would be one good ol' boy out there in East Tennessee willing.... my point being, besides the tasteless humor, my dad loved preaching and teaching.

There is a "study" at the house, of which there are still a ton of books that need to be dealt with. I have gone through and taken books that were published in the 1800's, 1900's, etc. He was well educated and well read. I never realize how much he read until I "straightened up" his study a few years back. There is a wide range of book and commentaries. He had "Christian Standards" from the 1940's on. I know that he read each one, he's always make a comment.

Another collection that he had, of which I have now, is his old hymnals. He had a collection of hymnals from the 1800's and early 1900's that are still incredible. The songs were probably big hits when they came out (or not), but to play through them I always am reminded why the classic hymns are classic hymns. But the songs have such great feeling and meaning. My favorite are the ones that bring out our Christian journey as a railroad trip or a car ride or even an airplane ride.

Dad knew all the old songs. I can never remember a time that I didn't hear him sing, "The Holy City". He sang it all the time. My memory is my sister Bonnie playing piano and dad singing. It was the way things were done. I'm sure Becky played for him at some point, and I even played it for him not too long ago. It is just a great song. My dad really had a great voice. I am speaking from a vocal teacher's standpoint. I have taken lessons for years, was a vocal major (actually the first vocal major at Ozark Christian College). Taught voice for years at Hope International University. Presently I am singing with the Fresno Grand Opera. I told you that to say this... I have trained and have sung to be able to keep my high Bb. When I took voice with Dr Joseph Klein, I was vocalizing on a D# (yep the one above the high C), I can no longer do that. But I can do things and still do pretty good. My dad, however without lessons was able to hit a high A... consistently, even at age 82. The month before he died (Apr 7, 2008) he sang at the East Tennessee Men's Fellowship. My cousin Scott Reynolds (a phenomenal musician in his own right) played piano for dad, and as usual dad sang it. It must have been pretty good as usual, they were still talking about it. At his funeral we wanted to play a video of him singing it, but the quality wasn't very good. So I sang it. Note to self, don't sing at your dad's funeral thinking you can make it through a song. There was that moment while singing the song that I realized what a great voice my dad had had and the power and ability in he really had in his voice.

I was at mom and dad's house in Feb 2008 for a week. I have gone every year to spend time with them. An interesting thing happened on my last night. I was not sure why, but he started quoting scripture. And I don't mean John 3:16, but i do mean a chapter, then 2... I have to admit i was kind of not appreciating it. Dad had been forgetting a lot of info and would repeat himself a lot. I had started telling him (because I knew he would want to know, and so would I) that he had already told me that. He would say I DID? I would tell him how many times... sometimes it was 12 or more or 15 or more... I wasn't being cruel, just I had already heard it. I hate being repetitious, and I know dad didn't mean to be that way. It may have been too blunt, and yes I did feel bad for it. However, I think he knew that he was forgetting stuff and repeating, etc. He began aksing me how many times? I would tell him, but say, if you want to tell me again, it's ok. But the last night I realized later that he always wanted to know that he never forgot God's Word that he had truly hidden in his heart. Our last moments we spent together on this side of heaven was his quoting scriptures and me wondering why. He never wanted to forget God's Word.

I think I'm done for the day blogging. But a couple of thoughts left in me, the last visual I have of my dad is in his "powered" chair asleep. He didn't sleep well, and ended downstairs in his chair, in the very room he was born in, and he had his little "outfit" on. His jacket and his knitted cap (to stay warm). I was leaving for the airport at 5 am with my brother Tom and there was dad asleep, just sitting in the chair. I didn't wake him up, because if he was in the chair he had couldn't sleep and I didn't want to wake him... but I went over and kissed him on the forehead... my dad... the greatest.

I know one thing, my dad loved all 6 kids equally. He lived at home what he preached at church. That in itself is amazing. He had had his heart attack on Sunday after church, went to ICU that night, was there all week and thought he'd go home by Friday. On Friday he had another heart attack. On Saturday, my sister Becky and her husband Rick flew in from Colo Springs. Rick sent everyone home and he was going to stay with dad all night. Rick said it was after midnight that dad sat straight up with his hands outstretched and said, "I see Jesus." He laid back and really never came back. He passed away the next afternoon.

So that is a little about Henry Thomas Reynolds Sr that makes me smile and cry. I will see him again, on that shore of rubies and diamonds... he will be the one singing "The Holy City".