The Band Directors’ Marching Band performs in the Rose Parade on Jan. 1. (Submitted photo)

BY SHERI TRUSTY

PORT CLINTON – On New Year’s Day, two Port Clinton residents – internationally known band director Jon Waters and Rod Miller, a retired, beloved Port Clinton High School band director – led the Band Directors’ Marching Band in the Rose Parade in Pasadena. About 350 band directors, who came from every state and several countries, comprised the band. Marching in the Rose Parade was an extraordinary experience for them, but the most poignant moment came before the parade, when the band gathered with strangers to honor people whose deaths brought life.

For Miller, it was a personal moment of healing.

The Band Directors’ Marching Band was accompanied by a float, so prior to the parade, the band assembled together for float judging, where they played “Amazing Grace.” Next to them, waiting to be judged, was the OneLegacy Donate Life float, which was part of a national campaign to bring awareness to organ donation.

Jon Waters, left, and Rod Miller led the Band Directors’ Marching Band in the Rose Parade on Jan. 1. (Submitted photo)

The OneLegacy float was adorned with photos of organ donors, and many family members and organ recipients accompanied the float. Someone from the OneLegacy float asked if the band would play “Amazing Grace” one more time. One band member, Josh Boyd from California, was grateful the band had the opportunity to honor organ donors. His daughter, Emily, became an organ donor when she passed away at the age of eight in 2018.

As the family members stood near, the Band Directors’ Marching Band reverently played “Amazing Grace,” giving honor to the organ donors, organ recipients, and their families. Information from OneLegacy said it was “a moment none of us will ever forget – a powerful reminder of the enduring impact of organ, eye and tissue donation and the lives honored through this float.”

It was also a moment Miller will never forget. As Waters led the band, Miller stood apart from the crowd and remembered his mother. She had died just a week before at the age of 95, and “Amazing Grace” was her favorite hymn. They played it together often when he was growing up, one on the piano and one on the organ, their voices intertwining with words of God’s grace.

In that moment, Miller recognized the hand of God, who, he said, healed his mother in Heaven and connected the band with the organ donor families.

Rod Miller leads the Band Directors’ Marching Band. (Submitted photo)

“Because of the amazing grace of God, my mom was no longer in pain. She was with my father who she missed so much. Because of the grace of God, these families made donations that impacted other families, and all of us were here together,” Miller said. “Amazing grace is what God does.”

In the bittersweet moment, strangers connected with each other, and Miller connected more deeply with God.

“I was celebrating God’s amazing grace,” Miller said. “I was grieving with the families, but it was the first time since my mom passed that I felt some peace, because I understood what God was doing.”

Members of the Band Directors’ Marching Band came from schools around the world to play music with people they had never met. Friendships formed as they honored those who gave life in death, and bonds grew within their common dedication to sharing music with younger generations.

“It’s good for us to bring awareness and support our fellow musicians across the world. Maybe we’re helping a teacher in Iowa or Mexico support their music program,” Miller said. “We’re bringing all these people together. If they don’t speak English, it doesn’t matter because music is the universal language.”