Have you ever had a song come on the radio and it reminds you of another time. It seems to happen to me a lot. Maybe that is because music is an integral part of my life. There are the songs that bring back my teens and all the fun I had with my friends rollerskating and hanging out at our homes. Then there are the songs that remind me of different times as a young adult newly married. Songs that I sang in church, standing by a good friend in the choir singing alto. Oh! And singing harmony with my little sister to songs like "Chapel of Love". Even songs my kids as teens listened too!
I can remember being really small watching and listening as my mom played piano or accordion and my dad played guitar. We would have family get-togethers and they would play while others danced. Especially different Christmas Eves and New Years Eves, when we could dance with our great-grandpa and uncles standing on their feet. These were always such fun times with family.
When I was a teen I remember getting a stereo one Christmas. I thought that was The Best present I could have gotten. I loved Country music and was getting into some Rock too. My best friend was always teasing me about being boy crazy. So one night when I was at her house spending the night, she called in to the radio station and dedicated Johnny Lee's "Looking for Love". It was hilarious. We laughed and joked about the guys we thought were "hot"!!
A few years later, I got married to my first husband. I thought he was so cute. Here I was the good girl married to the Bad Boy!! We had our good times and our fights. I remember one time after one of those fights I was in the bedroom face down on the bed. He came in and turned the radio on then went back out. Pretty soon the radio guy is saying the next song is dedicated to me from "Thumper". He had dedicated "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" by Elton John. My kids to this day remember me talking about this. I was only married to him for 2 1/2 short years, but they were very eventful. I have two beautiful, special kids from that marriage and a song that will always remind me of the better times with him.
I remarried a few years later. Carver was a wonderful Christian man with 3 kids of his own. I remember one time when we were having supper together just the two of us Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton's song "Rocking Chairs, Rocking Babies" came on. So of course that one always reminds me of those beginnings. We were together for almost 9 wonderful years before he passed away from cancer. There are several songs that remind me of our times together and little things that happened. There was even one time where the kids and some cousins put on a "show" for us and sang "Stand by Me". They were all so stinking cute!! After he died at his funeral some wonderful friends and I sang a bunch of his favorite hymns. That is another bittersweet memory.
During his illness and then death I think music is what kept me going. Music and prayer were a constant in my life. I couldn't stand being alone and I watched everyone else moving forward with life, so I made a decision to get involved in a friendship with someone who hadn't been involved with us as a couple. Little did I know that a friendship could so quickly blossom into something unbelievably wonderful. But that is a post for another time. Let me just say that music will always be a very important part of my life. I am so blessed that not only can I listen to music but I can sing and play as well. I thank God for that.
