A few weeks ago during a library trip I stumbled across a book entitled “I Wonder as I Wander”. I say stumbled because although I request most of our books, I also allow the children to go in and choose 2-3 books each. While they are choosing (this takes an extrodinary amount of time) I walk down the rows of children’s books and look at the spines. If I come across a title I recognize that we haven’t read in awhile I’ll pull it, if I see a title that seems interesting I’ll pull it as well. The next thing I do is to page through the book to see if it is worthy. By this I mean not twaddle. Which really means, “Is the book interesting to me as well as to the children? Is it a book I will enjoy reading as well?” (I also do this with the books the children select…all their books have to pass inspection too.) The other day (about four weeks ago) as I was walking down a row of books I happened to see this book (see above) and I recognized the title as being the same as the title of a Christmas Song so I pulled it. (I hadn’t heard this song since I was a child – and in French too I might add.) Long story short the book came home with me. Sadly it sat in our book basket for about two weeks before I read it. In the meantime my new TOS (This Old Schoolhouse) magazine arrived with an article entitled “Holiday Songs More Than a Tradition” by Steven Sensenig. I read through the article and thought it was very interesting but other than that I didn’t’ think any more about it. Later that week I finally picked up the book I’d checked out from the library and read it to the children. It is a delightful, but sad story about an Evangelist during the depression that has lost his wife and is left alone to care for his daughter. The book is from the daughter’s perspective and the song, I Wonder as I Wander, is created as she questions her life, the life she leads with her father, and the death of her mother. In short it is a fictional account of how the song I Wonder as I Wander was composed.

The true composer of the song I Wonder as I Wander is not known. During the 1930’s a man by the name of Jacob Niles went throughout the Appalachian’s and collected folksongs. One of the songs he collected was this one. It was being sung by a young girl by the name of Annie Morgan. He paid her twenty-five cents to repeat the song until he had written down all the words. He didn’t ask her where she had heard the song so it is not known whether she composed it or whether she was singing a song composed by another.

Now back to TOS…after I read the book aloud to the children…something clicked in my pregnancy fogged mind and I remembered the article in TOS. Steven Sensenig had written about this song as well. I don’t believe in coincidences. I’m not sure why this song has been reintroduced into my life, but here are the lyrics. I must warn you that once you read the lyrics they will be stuck in your head. They are very simple, but extremely powerful. May you be blessed.

I wonder as I wander, out under the sky,

How Jesus, the Savior, did come for to die

For poor orn’ry people like you and like I-

I wonder as I wander out under the sky.

When Mary birthed Jesus, ‘twas in a cow’s stall,

With wisemen and farmers and shepherds and all.

But high from God’s heaven a star’s light did fall,

And the promise of ages it then did recall.

If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing,

A star in the sky, or a bird on the wing,

Or all of God’s angels in heav’n for to sing,

He surely could have it, ‘cause He was the King.

I wonder as I wander, out under the sky,

How Jesus the Savior did come for to die

For poor orn’ry people like you and like I-

I wonder as I wander out under the sky.

This is the song that has been playing in the background as you’ve been reading (and in my mind off and on since I first read the story and looked up the song). If you would like to learn more about this song check out the book “I Wonder as I Wander” by Gwenyth Swain and the Fall 2007 issue of TOS. More can be found out about Steve Sensenig at www.Homeschoolblogger.com/pianosteve. (Information about this song was gathered from these two sources: The 2003 edition of  “I Wonder as I Wander” by Gwenyth Swain and the Fall 2007 TOS article entitled “Holiday Songs More than a Tradition” by Steve Sensinig. Many thanks to them both.)

blessings,

dani

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:11)