The Beach Boys’ music puts me back in McComb, Ohio where my sister and I would spray Sun-In on our hair, slather baby oil on our bodies and climb out my bedroom window onto the roof of the parsonage. The identical transistor radios we got for Christmas one year would be on each side of us so it was like listening in stereo. We’d lay there and cook (literally) till we couldn’t take any more sun, then climb back in with radios still on and dance around for a while as our skin cooled down.
Three Dog Night and Dan Fogelberg songs take me back to living with my sister in a trailer in Wilmore, Kentucky, where I’d stack the albums and listen for hours to the same songs over and over again.
The Carpenters? Well, I was a ‘Karen Carpenter wannabe’ and spent lots of time in my bedroom in Sabina, Ohio - trying to sound just like her. She was a drummer. I was a drummer (not a great one) in band, but had moved on to playing the guitar, so I tried to mimic her when I’d sing and play her songs.
I can hear songs on Sirius XM or on the radio today and tell you what years they were hits simply by going back in my mind to those years. It was a handy trick when I was working in radio and needed to know those sort of details. Now, it’s a handy trick with which to reminisce!
Hymns and sacred songs take me back to special moments, too. “Just As I Am” takes me to the age of 20 and an altar where my daddy knelt in front of me and asked if I was ready to say “yes” to Jesus. I was. And I did. Most recently, I’ve been singing around the house the song, “No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus.” You see, the last time I sang that song was in a trio with two special friends, Deb DeFine (left), and Ellen Seymore (center).
We grew up together attending a yearly campmeeting in Ohio. For friends who only saw each other once a year, we were pretty good to pick up right where we left off the last time...and run with it! Much laughter abounded when we three got together! It's in our DNA!
Here are the lyrics to the song:
I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus,
Since I found in Him a friend so strong and true;
I would tell you how He changed my life completely,
He did something that no other friend could do.
No one ever cared for me like Jesus,
There's no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me,
O how much He cared for me.
All my life was full of sin when Jesus found me,
All my heart was full of misery and woe;
Jesus placed His strong and loving arms about me,
And He led me in the way I ought to go.
No one ever cared for me like Jesus,
There's no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me,
O how much He cared for me.
Ev'ry day He comes to me with new assurance,
More and more I understand His words of love;
But I'll never know just why He came to save me,
Till some day I see His blessed face above.
No one ever cared for me like Jesus,
There's no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me,
O how much He cared for me.
The words in the 3rd verse are the ones riding heavily on my mind today. That’s because Deb, whose voice is absolutely incredible, is getting to “see His blessed face above” this very day. She drew her last breath this morning just before 10:00, but her beautiful voice wasn't silenced. In fact, Deb is now blessing Jesus with her voice in total praise!
She hadn’t been sick long and this disease took her from us too quickly. When we talked on the phone last week for a bit, she asked me to pray with her before we said goodbye. I’m so thankful for those moments now! The song will now take me back to sweet memories of a dear friendship that’s lasted more than 50 years! I’ll bet my sister, Vangie, was waiting close by when Deb came through the gates...arms outstretched with a “Hi, Honeeeeeeey” for our buddy! She left too soon, as well. They’ll have lots of catching up to do.
Music is powerful.
Let music take you places...
Let music remind you...
Let music heal you…that's what it's doing for me today.
With every blog, I close with this challenge: If you have a pulse, you have a purpose. Make your life count!
You are a blessing, Beth! I've got to come up with a nick name for you!!
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