It happened last year in Bermuda, where Vicki and her husband Peter were visiting along with their friends John and Elly Hopkins, of New York.
They’d not been to Bermuda before, so of course they took in the sights.
“We visited the National Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity on our third full day in Bermuda,” she writes, “wandering up to the chancel, taking photos and reading memorial plaques.
“I hesitated in the Warriors Chapel for a couple of moments to consider those Bermudians who died in wars.
“A short walk outside that chapel, I spotted a saxophone lying on the carpet in front of the podium.
“‘Is this yours?’ I asked a gentleman sitting nearby.
“‘No, it’s his,’ he said, pointing to another man.
“I asked the other man if he was playing, but sadly, he said he’d been rehearsing and doing sound checks for a funeral the next day, and was finished for the day.
“I respectfully asked him if he would mind playing something for us. He obliged and played ‘Amazing Grace.’
“His soulful rendition brought tears to my eyes, so when he was done and we’d thanked him, I timidly asked if I could play that hymn with him on the piano.
“A cathedral staff person agreed to allow me at the piano, removed the cover and raised the piano lid.
“We began to play. Key of B flat, modulating into the key of C. It was glorious and deeply moving to me.
“‘Can you play ‘The Lord’s Prayer’? B flat?’” he asked. I could, and we got going on it until I dropped a few chords. I hadn’t played it for many years.
“When done, he introduced himself as Shine. He said he would be playing sax for a state funeral the next day for a member of Parliament who had died suddenly. He casually mentioned that if his regular accompanist wasn’t able to participate, would I consider accompanying him?
“‘YES’ I nearly shouted… and then wondered, if I was asked to play, how would I get the music so I wouldn’t flub it?
“Incidentally, I was told it was the premier of Bermuda who declared the deceased would have a state funeral, so he would be in attendance along with the governor and all the members of Parliament as well as many other dignitaries and family members.
“It was a tantalizing thought to be able to be part of a National Cathedral state funeral.
“Shine asked if we could exchange emails, as he requested a copy of the video of our little session that Elly had recorded.”
Sure enough, Vicki received an email from Shine asking her to play with him at the funeral. “I was overcome with excitement! I couldn’t think of anything else the rest of the day!” she writes.
“I spoke with our Airbnb host, Dean Furbert, asking for his help in downloading a copy of Malotte’s ‘The Lord's Prayer’ on his computer and printing it for me.”
When she told him about the funeral, she opened the photos on her phone, a picture of Shine came up, and Dean exclaimed, “That’s Shine!” and told Vicki that Shine was a legend on the island, known by everyone as Bermuda’s No. 1 jazz musician. Dean told her it was an honor that he’d asked her to accompany him at this prestigious event.
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Vicki met Shine at the cathedral the next morning, where he asked Vicki’s husband Peter to narrate “The Lord’s Prayer” as Shine and Vicki played it. “So suddenly we were three!” she says.
After the rehearsal, Vicki and Peter remained at the cathedral to hold front-row seats by the piano, as a packed house was expected.
“While we waited,” she writes, “the friendly canon of the cathedral chatted with us for awhile as did the bishop of Bermuda and a couple of other cathedral staff members. Such pleasant and hospitable people!
“The bishop told me it was unusual for a non-Bermudian to play in the National Cathedral. Usually the Minister of Immigration and the head of the music union has to approve anyone playing, and they need a work permit to participate in music. This whole ‘gig’ was getting more and more curious and amazing.
“With all the dignitaries escorted down the aisle and in their seats, the service began for Charles Walton DeVere Brown Jr., a member of Parliament who had died suddenly of a heart attack at age 59. Beautiful pipe organ music echoed throughout the cathedral and our voices united in the opening hymn, ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ — and sing we did with gusto and conviction.
“Scripture readings and a number of tributes followed, including one given by the premier, the honorable David Burt, who spoke of Walton Brown as a friend and colleague, choking up as he recounted his special relationship with him.” Members of Walton’s family and members of Parliament also spoke of his “gentleness, tenacity and fortitude.”
Then it was time for Shine (whose last name is Hayward) to offer the music. But first, he told of the special person this man was, and then went into the story of how he and Vicki had met, played music together and that she’d agreed play with him this day, explaining that after he and Vicki had played together and he’d left, he found his regular accompanist unavailable to play due to other commitments.
“I had a problem,” he told the standing-room-only congregation. “I needed a solution — and there she is at the piano!”
“He introduced Peter and me from North Dakota,” Vicki says. “People responded by clapping loudly to show their solid appreciation and affirmation!”
After the service, which was carried on live television, many people, including the canon and bishop and other people, thanked the Schmidts, and a reporter from Bermua’s newspaper spoke to them, so the next day their story was included in the paper’s front-page story.
The next day, the Schmidts ate their evening meal at the restaurant where they knew Shine would be playing. “We were drawn to hear more of his soulful music,” she says.
“He greeted us with hugs and intense warmth, and during a break he came clear across the restaurant to our table, quieted the diners and again shared the story of how we met. To the entire restaurant, he announced, ‘They are here tonight — Peter and Vicki Schmidt from North Dakota!’, and once more we received a rousing round of applause. He played ‘Happy Anniversary’ for John and Elly’s 50th anniversary and all cheered for them.
“During the evening, Shine told the brother of Walton Brown (the deceased man) that we were in the restaurant as was he, so George Brown wandered through the crowded restaurant to greet us and thank us for how much our presence meant to the family. Whew! That was an honor again, to be recognized and appreciated, especially by a member of the family.”
The next day, Shine and his friend treated the Schmidts to lunch at a restaurant overlooking the ocean, then took them with him to an event honoring a pastor of a Seventh-day Adventist church who was retiring.
Shine was to play. Just before he did, Vicki says, “He asked if he could call me up to play with him again. I think he saw some level of terror on my face. ‘Only if we can do ‘Amazing Grace,’ I quickly responded.
“So he called Peter and me forward and asked Peter to bring greetings. I found my way to the keyboard and began an intro as Shine replayed the serendipitous story of our coming together. More cheers, and then our rendition of this special song that found me tearing up again.”
When the Schmidts were flying home, a woman sitting next to Vicki noticed the photos on her iPad, said “Is that Shine?” and when Vicki said it was and told her the story, the woman said, “Everyone on the island knows Shine!”
And so, Vicki writes, “There is no question this was a Kairos moment. Had we gone to the cathedral at a different time of day, or had I lingered longer in the Warrior’s Chapel before returning to the front of the church, the sax on the carpet would have been packed and Shine would have been long gone.
“The audacity for me to ask a dignitary like Shine to play with him came from somewhere inside. Agreeing to accompany him at the state funeral — without hesitation — was Spirit-driven.”
Now, she says, “we have a friendship with a special person from a special place — Bermuda.
“Mystery still surrounds this, but Shine was right: ‘It was no accident.’”
If you have an item of interest for this column, mail it to Neighbors, The Forum, Box 2020, Fargo, ND 58107, fax it to 701-241-5487 or email blind@forumcomm.com.
https://www.inforum.com/lifestyle/family/4989727-‘No-accident’-behind-West-Fargo-woman-teaming-up-with-Bermuda’s-top-jazz-musicianBagikan Berita Ini
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