Remember When

There’s a song by Alan Jackson that should be banned from my playlist. Only I love it so much I would never push delete.  I’ve never, ever, never listened to Remember When without crying.  I’m so sure of its tear inducing powers when it queues up in my song rotation, I automatically hit skip. Almost always.  Every once in awhile, if I’m feeling extra cheery I’ll test my theory and listen to the damn song just to see if I’ve outgrown the crocodile tears.  So far the score is Song: 100. Me: 0.

Do you even know the song I’m talking about? If C&W ain’t your thing, 100 Years by Five for Fighting provides a similar affect, different genre.  But it’s not the same.  So take a minute (or 4) and watch the Remember When video.

I’ll wait.

Here’s the thing.  It’s a perfect love song, one I feel certain was written for me and Husband. We weren’t high school sweethearts, but other than that, I am sure it’s our song. Which is why it moves me to tears.

Especially today.  We are disassembled, rearranged.  My mother-in-law is in ICU.  She was diagnosed with severe pneumonia after sustaining a fall last Tuesday.  We’ve been all kinds of crazy and confused trying to do what’s best for her.  Husband has been back and forth to Dallas so many times, I’ve lost track.  Information is slow in coming, emotions are high, and fear lurks like a bad smell.

In our confusion, we somehow seemed to go about our lives as we had planned them.  While in Dallas, Husband was able to attend his 25th high school reunion.  And, I took the Littles to the lake house.  Just like we had planned.

Then on the way out to the lake house yesterday, I heard the song.  And I cried. I cried so hard it scared the Littles.  I told them Remember When made me cry because it reminds me of how much I love Daddy.  They seemed fine and moved on, but I’m still feeling disassembled, rearranged. Scattered.

Through my tears, the Lord reminded me that a husband and wife were meant to be partners. Together.

The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Genesis 2:18

I called Husband and asked if he wanted me to join him in Dallas.  I think we both were surprised that we hadn’t thought of this sooner.  As my longing to be by his side deepened, I looked up the rest of Genesis chapter 2 and read:

But for Adam no suitable helper was found. ²¹ So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. ²²Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

²³ The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.”

²⁴ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

Here’s the truth.  Remember When is a beautiful song, but His Word is the perfect love song, and God wrote it for me and Husband.  God has a plan.  He has a plan for my mother-in-law.  And He has one for Husband and for me.

I’m out the door, making the journey to Dallas to be by my Husband’s side.  Someday when we are old and gray we’ll look back on the crisis we are living out now and say, Remember When…