Have Been Mulling This Over...

Sara Groves has a new album out - it's called "Tell Me What You Know" - it also, is now a permanent fixture in my cd player, (believe it or not I still have her release from a few years ago in there too). Sara is one of my favorite artists for many reasons, I love her sound - I live vicariously through her cause I dream that if God had ever blessed me with music skills, I would play similar to her style of simply sitting down to her keyboard and singing (or like Rhonda Vincent, then the keyboard would change to strumming a mandolin).

Anyway, one of her songs, actually the very first track, is called Song for My Sons. I wish I was more technically savvy to know how to set up a sound bite for it right here, or to do a video montage with the boys' pictures...but I can't - so you'll just have to click on the title to hear a piece of it. This song is a great example of how she has taken the thoughts out of my head and put them to music. The liner notes say that partly where the idea to write this song came from is the inspiration from a letter Sara's great-grandfather wrote to her grandmother. I have often thought of writing each of my kids a letter to set aside for when they get older - closer to total independence - of things that I have sifted through over the years. I haven't done it for a couple of reasons, 1. I'd probably loose the letters after I wrote them this early in their lives and 2. I have wondered if they would even be able to understand certain ideas if they have not experiencing them first hand within their own spiritual journeys.

But the lyrics of this song really say enough..."this is a song from my heart...for times when we're apart and I cannot console you, I can't say your life will always go like it should, but I can say that God is always good..." and the chorus..."when the cold wind blows, like I know it will - when you feel alone, like I know you will...don't let your love grow cold." I am just beginning to taste what it is like to push Isaiah (he's my oldest - the others aren't quite as ready for pushing) out of the nest a bit and encourage him to deal with the junk that he will experience - and I can't do it all for him, and I can't be there next to him, telling him which way to go. It's his spiritual journey, not mine...I think that is the hardest part of parenting - working your way out of a job.

I think that is why I encourage them strengthening the brotherly bond so much (pretty soon the sibling bond) - I am hoping that by making them so devoted to each other, that in the future they can pull together and help each other through some of the many dangers and temptations they will face - sort of like a built in accountability group. I as a parent need to step back enough to let the Holy Spirit do the convicting/leading in their lives, but I think a sibling might be able to hang in there with them a little more closely to give them the encouragement and support they might need...that's one of my prayers anyway.

I think I will write those letters eventually, just to love on them more than to give them my advice - but I will wait to write them until my own life's journey has taught me some more things too...so if something happens to me before those letters are written - give them this song. Here are some picture of the "brotherly love" to end with :-)