A Gospel Songbook Evokes Memories

Recently I came home from work and found on the floor in the hall a thin red hardback book that had fallen from a pile of books. I picked it up and saw that it was a religious songbook called Gospel Pearls (1921). Browsing through it, I came across several songs I remember hearing my late mother sing around the house when I was young. As a young girl she, like my grandmother, sang in church. At one time she aspired to be a gospel singer. As I read the lyrics of various songs, I could hear her voice in my head singing The Royal Telephone, Eyes on the Sparrow, God Be With You, and Leave It There. These songs brought back pleasant memories.