“Goose! You know BEE-thoven?!“

Cameron was stunned that I recognized the piano piece he’d just finished.

Yes, Cam. In fact it was the wedding song played when Papaw and I got married.

“Goose! You and Papaw are married?!”

Clearly we need to talk about the fact that Gary and I haven’t just been shacking up all these years.

Cameron is our constant delight. Our joy.

Looking back even further than our 1982 nuptials, I realize Beethoven’s 9th Symphony has always been a part of my life.

Growing up, we Vayo kids heard a grand variety of classical music played at an impressive volume on the hi-fi.

Beethoven was one of Dad’s favorites.

During my freshman year at college, the Singing Hoosiers vocal ensemble was invited to be part of the chorus in a memorable performance of Beethoven’s Symphone No. 9. Those of us not fluent in German learned the Choral lyrics phonetically:

Freude, schöner Götterfunken,
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische, dein Heiligthum!
Deine Zauber binden wieder
Was die Mode streng geteilt;
Alle Menschen werden Brüder,
Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.

A few years later, Gary and I chose Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” for our wedding processional.

And recessional.

Dad walked his only daughter down the aisle as Sara, my college roommate and fellow Singing Hoosier, beautifully filled the church with those German words and notes. I’d asked the organist to blow the roof off – and he nearly did.

It was magnificent.

For the recessional, Sara sang the English version of “Ode to Joy” to a brighter, more upbeat accompaniment. I remember waving to her in the choir loft as Gary and I headed back down the aisle and out into the sunshine.

Fast forward nearly 38 years and “Ode to Joy” is filling another home with music. Grandson Cameron comes to our house for a weekly overnight and serenades us with his latest tunes on the piano.

After we recorded this, we called Dad in Connecticut so that Cameron could play for his great-grandfather. During the Facetime performance, I glanced at my phone. All I could see on my father’s face was … joy.

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