Silent Night, Holy Night

The past couple of days we have been thinking a lot about my grandad and his life.  He passed away one year ago today on December 1, 2008 and was able to go join my grandmother on the other side.  I'm sure it was such a grand reunion for the both of them.  I have thought a lot about his passing and his life.  Soon after I found out that he was gone, I could not go to bed as I cried that I would not see him in this life again.  I remember feeling the most comforting feeling almost like he was there and gave me a hug and told me that he loved me and everything was ok.  I felt this exact same thing when my grandmother Wirthlin passed away as well. 

Another memory that keeps coming back to me and has come many times in the past year is the feeling that I felt along with my family of the spirit that was in his home after he had died.  Lynar and my girls also felt that special feeling like we were in the temple.  We were able to stay in his home for a few days with my mom during all the funeral stuff.  Many times we caught ourselves telling our girls to use a soft voice and no running like you would tell them at the temple or at church.  I have never felt that same way in any other home and hope to always be able to remember that feeling.  When we would visit him before he passed away, our visits were always pretty quick or were filled with many people.  I envy the family that has purchased the home.  My brother Steve has been staying at the home for the last couple of months and he told me it still has such a peaceful feeling to it.  What great experiences I will always remember in that home.

The Saturday before Grandad passed away, a story was published in the Church News from a talk he had given years earlier about his mission and the song Silent Night.  My mom had stayed with him most of the weekend before he passed and said that he just kept reading that story over and over again.  I'm sure it brought back many memories from his past.  At the funeral the family was told to read this story every Christmas season.   Our family has decided to read it the first FHE of the Christmas Season which is also around the time it came out and his passing.  We read it to our children last night.  I have tried to find a link on the church website, but haven't been able to find the exact one.  If anyone can find it please send me a link.  I will write some of it below since it is too long to write the whole thing.

"It was Christmas time in the Bavarian Alps in 1937.  I have always loved Christmas.  There is a special spirit about it.  THe chill in the winter air is the perfect counterpoint to the warmth that should fill our hearts as we contemplate the message of salvation found in the birth, and life, and the resurrection of our Lord and Savior.
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On Christmas Eve, Elder Olson and I visited the village of Oberndorf, nestled securely in the beautiful Bavarian Alps.  It was a crisp, clear winter night.  We walked under a canopy of stars, across the smooth stillness of new-fallen snow to a humble little church where a familiar melody beckoned with its message of hope and peace.  Inside, a choir was singing in a German a carol that brought warmth to our hearts on that cold winter night.  Though we were far from our homes and families, we were fille dwith our Heavenly Father's love and comforted by His Spirit as we listened to the calming strains of "Silent Night! Holy Night!"

Perhaps it was like the night that more than a century earlier inspired the assistant pastor in that quaint village to write the words to one of the most beloved hymns in all of Christendom.  In 1818, Joseph Mohr was walking in the mountains above Oberndorf when he was overcome with the sublime beauty that surrounded him:  The towering, majestic mountains; the brilliance of the stars in the sky; the shimmering glow of moonlight reflected on snowcovered hills and valleys; and the warm, welcoming lights of the village. 

The setting provided inspiration for the new hymn Joseph Mohr was writing for Christmas services the next day.  As he made his way homeward, words and phrases came together in his mind:    
   Silent Night! Holy Night! All is Calm, All is bright, round yon virgin mother and child.  Holy Infant, so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace; sleep in heavenly peace.
   Silent Night!  Holy Night!  Son of God, loves pure light, Radiant beams from thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord at thy Birth; Jesus, Lord at thy birth;   Hymn # 204

Joseph Mohr took his words to Franz Gruber, the church organist.  Since the church's organ was broken, Gruber had to compose music for the new hymn on his guitar.  But the tune came easily, and the next day "Silent Night" had its first performance in that unique little church.  Sung by its creators to Gruber's guitar accompaniment, it probably sounded a little different from the full, rich harmonious version we sing today.  But the message was the same.

As we listened to the choir's harmony while standing in the very same church where the first rendition of this sacred song was sung, we were spiritually moved.  We were filled with the true spirit of Christmas. 

As we left Oberndorf and walked about fifteen miles to our humble lodgings in old Salzburg, we spoke of life more confidently.  Our goals and aspirations were clear, and we were both focused as to our direction in life.  Much of our conversation centered on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  We felt closer to Him that Christmas Eve.  AS we savored that sense of God's love for us, we also felt an outpouring of His love toward all mankind.  Even with the threat of war hanging heavily over Austria and the rest of the world, for one night, at least, "all (was) calm, all (was) bright."  It was, truly, a "holy night," a Christmas that we will never forget.

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While we missed the company of cherished family and loved ones, we did not dwell on our absence from home.  I expressed my goal to find a girl with qualities of character that stem from a deep and abiding spiritual foundation.  We now knew that the virtues and attributes enumerated in Alma's admonition were the qualities we were looking for.  I did find such a companion who posssessed all these qualities I had hoped for.  Her name is Elisa Young Rogers.  She exceeded all of my dreams expressed on that sacred night."

I am so grateful for all that my grandparents have left for me to learn more about their lives and for the righteous lives that they lived. 

We love and miss you Grandma and Grandad Wirthlin!