Amazing Grace(PART 1 OF 3)

　
Amazing Grace(PART 1 OF 3)
　
　

　
　

Subj:I hope you enjoyed

the Pride Parade.

Enjoy more sunshine!





From: diane03760@vancouver.ca
To: barclay1720@aol.com
Date: Sat, Jul 30, 2011 4:49 pm.
Pacific Daylight Saving Time

■"Roly-poly in the North"

Wow! I enjoyed the above article.
You put a smile on my face with all this amazing information.
Isn't it really such a small world?

You know what, Diane?...I was almost to meet you in Faro.



Do you really mean it?

Yes, I do. 　When I quit the government job in Yellowknife, I came down to Vancouver, where I was hired by Information Systems Services Inc.---a consulting firm.

So you started working as a consultant, didn't you?

Yes, my boss said to me that the firm hired me because the Cyprus Anvil Mining Corporation needed a consultant who specialized in the Hewlett-Packard mini-computer system.

So, Kato, you specialized in the HP minicomputer system, didn't you?

Yes, I did.

Then how come your firm didn't send you to Faro.

My firm changed its plan, and sent me to ICBC (Insurance Corporation of British Columbia).

Why?

Well..., now I know the reason. 　World prices for metals fell in 1982, and the mine owners announced in May a two-month halt to production starting in June, 1982. This economical downturn made the mining company stop hiring more consultants.

So, you were sent to ICBS, instead of Cyprus Anvil Mining Corporation, weren't you?

Yes, I was. 　If I had been sent to Faro, I would've certainly met you up north.

What a strange fate, Kato! 　And we met in Joe Fortes Library, Vancouver, instead.

Yes, we did. 　We were supposed to meet in this world...ha, ha, ha, ha, ha,...

---

SOURCE: "Roly-poly in the North"
(Saturday, July 30, 2011)

Imagine we could have met in Faro instead of in Vancouver and how many others that we know in the world could we have crossed paths with without even knowing.
Amazing!

Thanks for all that background about Faro as well.
I didn't know about the sheep.
My recollection is that the mine was the only thing in the town worth talking about.
Probably the golf course hadn't been built at that time.

Although you consider Vancouver to be your paradise, mine isn't certainly Vancouver.
By what you wrote about Japan, I guess we have to count our blessings here, true?!
Thanks again, kiddo.



I'm off to a Chi Gong （気功）　class tonight being led by a chi gong medical therapist (whatever that is).
I'll let you know if it's any good.
You may be interested.

By the way, I heard this most powerfully beautiful rendition of "Amazing Grace."
It definitely put me in the mood for service tomorrow.
I was so moved by the hymn and tune that I got goosbumps all over me.
I hope you'll enjoy it, too.



Love, Diane ~

Kato, did you hear the tune.



Oh, yeah! 　As a matter of fact, I've heard it so many times in my life.

Have you?

Yes, I have. 　It's one of the most recognizable songs in the English-speaking world, isn't it?

I believe so. 　But did you hear it when you were living in Japan?

Oh, yes, I did. 　The Japanese are quite fascinated by famous foreign tunes such as "Amazing Grace."　 I really love the rendition sung by Celtic Woman.

Celtic Woman - Amazing Grace

<iframe width="425" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/HsCp5LG_zNE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>



Elvis Presley's Amazing Grace isn't bad at all.

Elvis Presley - Amazing Grace

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/B3XdXEJEI4E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>



Nana Mouskouri's Amazing Grace isn't bad at all, either.

nana mouskouri - amazing grace

<iframe width="425" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lhc7MEYY-Ho" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>



Kato, do you know a story behind the song?



Oh, yes, I've found the right story on the net.

The Story of Amazing Grace

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lfoCSmw-EaE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>



To be on the safe side, I check the Wikipedia.

Amazing Grace



"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn written by English poet and clergyman John Newton (1725–1807), published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God, "Amazing Grace" is one of the most recognizable songs in the English-speaking world.



John Newton

Newton wrote the words from personal experience. He grew up without any particular religious conviction but his life's path was formed by a variety of twists and coincidences that were often put into motion by his recalcitrant insubordination. He was pressed into the Royal Navy and became a sailor, eventually participating in the slave trade. One night a terrible storm battered his vessel so severely that he became frightened enough to call out to God for mercy, a moment that marked the beginning of his spiritual conversion. His career in slave trading lasted a few years more until he quit going to sea altogether and began studying theology.

Ordained in the Church of England in 1764, Newton became curate of Olney, Buckinghamshire, where he began to write hymns with poet William Cowper. "Amazing Grace" was written to illustrate a sermon on New Year's Day of 1773. It is unknown if there was any music accompanying the verses, and it may have been chanted by the congregation without music. It debuted in print in 1779 in Newton and Cowper's Olney Hymns, but settled into relative obscurity in England. In the United States however, "Amazing Grace" was used extensively during the Second Great Awakening in the early 19th century. It has been associated with more than 20 melodies, but in 1835 it was joined to a tune named "New Britain" to which it is most frequently sung today.

Author Gilbert Chase writes that "Amazing Grace" is "without a doubt the most famous of all the folk hymns", and Jonathan Aitken, a Newton biographer, estimates that it is performed about 10 million times annually. It has had particular influence in folk music, and become an emblematic African American spiritual. Its universal message has been a significant factor in its crossover into secular music. "Amazing Grace" saw a resurgence in popularity in the U.S. during the 1960s and has been recorded thousands of times during and since the 20th century, sometimes appearing on popular music charts.

(Note: Pictures from the Denman library)

---

Source:
Free encyclopedia Wikipedia

While seaching on the Net, I came across this movie trailer.

Amazing Grace

movie trailer

<iframe width="425" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Q6Cv5P9H9qU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>



Do you know the story line?



Oh, yes, here it is.

(To be continued)