Final thought on marriage

Before moving on to next week's Discipleship Curriculum topic, I want to share something unusual that happened to me last week. I was driving the company truck, making deliveries in the London, Somerset, and Monticello, KY region, when a song came on the radio that I had heard many times before. The song is not a favorite and I usually change the station when I hear it in Louisville, because there are several Christian stations from which to choose. But alas, in the area I found myself, that station was my only option. So I let it play.

But something happened. I felt rain drops running down my face. Was the window cracked? Did the roof of the truck have a hole? No. I found myself in tears. Here is the song, called "Walking Her Home" by Mark Schultz:



At first, I tried to just listen to the song, maybe to gain some appreciation for it that I hadn't had before. But memories of my wife from our courtship sneaked into my mind and the lyrics made me smile. Then as the song progressed, I thought of our four children being born and how amazingly Mimi did during the pregnancies and deliveries and recoveries. What a woman! My fond smile evolved into an awestruck open mouth and a little head-shaking. I cherished my wife. But little did I know what was coming next. The song lyrics took me to the unknown future, and I visualized my dying wife, aged and not looking as good as she looked in the earlier years. But she was more beautiful to me. I thought of The Notebook. And it rained on my face. I was honored to be in her presence, and it was truly a privilege to be walking her home, to somehow and quite mysteriously have a role in presenting her to the Lord in a more holy state than she was in when we first came together. Who am I that the Lord would give to me such a daunting task and an immensely enjoyable role to fill in His creation? Here are the lyrics:

Looking back
He sees it all
It was her first date the night he came to call

Her dad said son
Have her home on time
And promise me you'll never leave her side
He took her to a show in town
And he was ten feet off the ground

(Chorus)
He was walking her home
And holding her hand
Oh the way she smiled it stole the breath right out of him
Down that old road
With the stars up above
He remembers where he was the night he fell in love
He was walking her home

Ten more years and a waiting room
At half past one
And the doctor said come in and meet your son

His knees went weak
When he saw his wife
She was smiling as she said he's got your eyes

And as she slept he held her tight
His mind went back to that first night

(Chorus)

He walked her through the best days of her life
Sixty years together and he never left her side

A nursing home
At eighty-five
And the doctor said it could be her last night
And the nurse said Oh
Should we tell him now
Or should he wait until the morning to find out

When they checked her room that night
He was laying by her side

Oh he was walking her home
And holding her hand
Oh the way she smiled when he said this is not the end
And just for a while they were eighteen
And she was still more beautiful to him than anything
He was walking her home
He was walking her home

Looking back
He sees it all
It was her first date the night he came to call

I called my wife when my eyes had dried. The children were worried that daddy was crying. They were okay to find out that the tears were joyful, but they didn't understand. In some ways, neither did daddy...