Terry Garcia

VITAS Volunteer

San Antonio Program

Amazing Grace, one of America’s most beloved hymns and recorded pieces of music, has served as a symbol of spiritual healing and liberation for centuries.

In the midst of sorrow, the song’s simple, honest words and flowing melody are instinctively comforting. It served as an anthem during the American Civil Rights movement in the ‘60s, and this haunting piece flowed from a lone bagpiper at the first significant memorial service in New York City after the September 11 attacks.

Now, using the same tune that offers a sense of familiarity and ease, hospice patients’ family members in San Antonio will hear a new rendition of Amazing Grace to help put their feelings of sorrow into words ... thanks to Terry Garcia, a VITAS volunteer, who was inspired by Carmen, a special patient.

Carmen often shared stories of the “old times” during Terry’s volunteer visits.Terry learned that, as a religious person, Carmen loved when church members would come to her bedside and sing her favorite hymn, Amazing Grace.

While Carmen would drift to sleep, Terry would stay by her bedside and reflect on these conversations. While driving home, Terry occasionally would hear the tune Amazing Grace in her head—but with different lyrics. She finally wrote them down.

“Once I saw them on paper, I realized these reworked verses were derived from conversations Carmen and I had about life and death,” said Terry. “Carmen wanted to talk about dying with her loved ones, but it made them cry. So she talked to me instead.”

Carmen’s condition eventually worsened, and she passed away. It was then that Terry felt inspired to write the final verse of her revised Amazing Grace. “Like the song, the bonding experience I had with Carmen was uplifting,” said Terry. “I will always cherish it.”

Terry’s version of Amazing Grace first was performed at Carmen’s funeral service. Now, with help from Darwin Huartson, San Antonio Bereavement Manager, it is shared at the program’s memorial services for others to appreciate.

AN AMAZING HISTORY Amazing Grace was originally written by John Newton, a cruel British sailor and slave trader who hated Christianity. According to legend, Newton was commanding a slave ship in 1748 when an epiphany struck. As a fierce storm rocked his boat one night in the Atlantic, the captain called on God to save him.The incident was a turning point in Newton’s life and he immortalized his passage from darkness to light in the words of Amazing Grace. From John Newton’s life story to the hymn’s role in American spirituality, Amazing Grace is an illuminating and unprecedented song in musical history, and continues to be heard in churches and at memorial services across America. Attesting to the hymn’s wide-ranging influence on popular culture, it has been recorded more than 1,000 times, by, among others, Elvis, Rod Stewart, Judy Collins, Johnny Cash and Aretha Franklin.