Helen sang the song below at the service this morning explaining, first explaining how she believed her music was a gift from God made evident first here on Martha’s Vineyard.
In Yonder Meadows
In these fields I’ve wandered, I’ve pondered, I have grown
And my heart grows fonder, with each pasture I have known
And in yonder woods, I have followed the mossy banks
Of a trickling brook where I’ve knelt down to give thanks
These fields taught me compassion They taught me to forgive
And with mercy unrationed They taught me how to live
As a soul that’s fallen I’ve pounded my fists and wept
God must have heard me calling – For something in my spirit leapt
There’s a fog rolls in Each evening from the coast
It creeps across the landscapes like a phantom or ghost
It rolls across the meadow, the sorrells and the dales
Continues to drift even as dawn lifts Like a burka or veil
Through the mist I’m running Heart pounding against my chest
To the spirit that is coming In whose presence I feel blessed
Yes Each moment hastens toward me Impatient to impart
All that my soul craves All that saves the wounded heart
With their verdant splendor
These fields taught me to believe
And persuaded me to surrender
In order that I might receive
No matter how far I wander
Or the qualities I lack
Or the years I have squandered
These fields, they always take me back
Helen Stratford
Chilmark 2011
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