Many times over the years I’ve felt as if I needed a friend. The most memorable time was my senior year in high school. I’d attended the same school up through 11th grade and then my folks moved. A senior in a new school. I was odd and ugly and poor and felt like a fish out of water.
That summer I attended our church camp as usual. A place that was magical to me because everybody there was of a similar belief and standard. That year Reverend Anthony Mangun and his wife Mickey were the camp evangelists. Sister Mickey sang a song that she had written and she spoke about God giving her that song right before camp. It is one of only a few of her songs that never made it main stream. Little did she know that God had given her that song and message just for me. It was a melody I often sang in my head my entire senior year of high school and one that’s meant a lot to me over the years.
The title of the song was simply “Friends” and part of it went a little like this: Friends, friends, Jesus and I are friends – Friends from long ago – Friends when I didn’t even know that we were friends. When I was lonesome or lonely or just plain tired of trying to fit in that melody was in my head. When I was discouraged and depressed I would sing that song.
I googled Mickey Mangun recently and while I got a lot of hits on her name, not once was this song mentioned. To all intents and purposes it was a colossal failure in the music world. Since I couldn’t find this song for you to hear, I have included a video of her here and hope that you enjoy it and are as blessed as I always am when I listen to her sing.
I was unable to put the actual video here but please click the link to go to YouTube and listen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOtYmV6RoCQ
Vicky,
I too remember that song so vividly. That was my first year at camp. We had just gotten in church the fall before that. I guess that is why the Manguns have a special place in my heart. That was the year I met you.
I really enjoyed this post, because it brought me back to my first year of high school and also my first semester of college. Going to a new school is a scary transition, especially going to Henderson. I came from Dallas, Texas and came into a small town. However, I really felt appreciated when I attended BCM, which is the Bible study group on campus. Ever since the first time I attended, I have made many new friends and I am so thankful for how great my first semester of College has gone!
Thank you for posting the song! I really enjoyed listening to it and I have told many friends about it!
This was a very touching post, I think just about everyone can relate to a time we felt very alone in life. When I came to this school last semester I didn’t really know anyone so I stayed to myself. This is a great post to share !!!! We all need at least one friend to be there for us and one we can relate to.
I really enjoyed reading this, a lot more detailed than some of the others, great work 🙂
this post has a deep meaning behind it and i can understand where you are coming from because music is healing and can help people through some of the hardest times in this crazy thing we call life. i never moved schools but I’ve been around people that have and I’ve seen the struggles that they went through in the transition from school to school so i know it had to be hard thing to
I am a high school senior and there too are times I feel alone. No matter what happens I know God is there with me every step of the way. In my time at my church we have had two different pastors and both of them have had messages that have spoken to me so deeply and I to this day remember things both have said that touched my heart. We have an older church, older members, and older hymns that I feel blessed to know. On Sunday mornings when I hear everyone singing those old songs I just cannot believe just how blessed I am to grow up in such a small, loving, caring town and church. We have a song that my neighbor, church brother, song leader, and most of all was like my grandpa would lead our congregation in and we considered it our church song and it was the most beautiful song. His name was JT and ever since he passed away a couple months ago my heart pleads to hear him sing and lead us in it again, but I know I will see him one day again. We still sing it, but you can see the looks on everybody faces that it is not the same without papa JT.