Tuesday, May 5, 2009

it's a sad thing when one must leave the other . . .




A veterinarian in my town died last week at age 61. It's been over a decade since we began taking our pets to a different vet, so I hadn't seen him in awhile and do not yet know the cause of death. Still, the obituary was a shock to read and to learn that he and his wife had been married for 40 years. She I have seen around town throughout the years and I've always enjoyed a quick chat with her because she has a wild sense of humor and she always makes me laugh.

She with her wild sense of humor and he with his wry wit seemed to just go together. I have thought of their 40 years: marrying young, the journey through vet school, moving to this town to set up the clinic, working together the early years of the practice, having two sons who are the spitting image of their dad.....

This song is from one of Emmylou Harris' more obscure albums (Stumble Into Grace), one that I get in the mood to hear for days on end about once a year.....as I have lately. She wrote the song about her friends Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, and, although the lyrics are personally their story they seem universal in describing long-term marriage and the soul-mate connection.

May you know love like that.



Strong Hand
(Just One Miracle) - lyrics

He was a tall man
Raised up from the fields out pickin' cotton
In a hard land
Where the ground was poor and the wood was rotten
But when he saw her
All those bad times were forgotten
And he believed, he believed

She was the strong hand
A good sister and a daughter
Lookin' for one man
To love the way that her mama'd taught her
And when she saw him
She thanked God for what he'd brought her
She believed, she believed

And it's a miracle
How one soul finds another
Just one miracle
Is all it took my brother
For l have seen them
As they walk this world together
And i believe, l believe

It's a sad thing
When one must leave the other
And fly up where the voice rings
Out with all the multitudes that gather
But for a short while

Down here no song ever sounded sweeter
And we believed, we believed

For it's a miracle
How one soul finds another
Just one miracle
Is all it took my brother
And l will see them
Someday they'll walk again together
l believe, l believe
This l believe, l believe


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12 comments:

Batteson.Ind said...

Just beautiful...I wasn't prepared to cry today! But thank you...

Don't Feed The Pixies said...

powerful lyrics.

Before i saw "walk the line" i read Cash by Johnny Cash and the book is far more interesting...

Sorry to hear about the vet. I hope his wife is ok

earthtoholly said...

Hi Lydia and thanks for stopping by!

The song is beautiful...she still has such a great voice. Hasn't "lost it" like some sadly do.

The vet died so young, yet spent what is a lifetime for some with his wife. Very bittersweet.

Erin Davis said...

I love Emmylou Harris, and I had never heard this one before. Just beautiful. Thank you!

Unknown said...

Love Emmylou. Keep hoping my hair will gray beautifully likes hers. My hairdresser laughs at me.
Very sorry to hear of your acquaintance's death. We are, I fear, coming to an age when the obituaries become much more personal.

Lydia said...

@the watercats- aw, I hope they were the sweet kind of purging tears.....

@Pixies- I loved the man's music but didn't realize he had authored a book.

@earthtoholly- You probably won't read this because your trip has likely begun.....but travel safely and have a good time!
Your last paragraph in comments was wonderful.

@Erin- Glad you liked it. I think the album is quite special.

@Distracted- Yeah, we are getting to the point when peers pass away; seems strange.
I looked at videos when getting this post together and saw that Emmylou's hair grayed in phases. Where it was all gray, at first it was a darker color - much darker than the luminous shade now. Right now I have about 2 inches of the darker gray grown out. Not sure what I'm gonna do because I thought I'd hate it and would have colored it by now. But to my surprise I really like it!

Just Be Real said...

Thank you for sharing this song and powerful lyrics. Blessings dear one.

Lydia said...

@Just Be Real- So happy to have a lovely comment from you. Your "tweets" are lots better than any on Twitter, I am sure!

Lisa Nanette Allender said...

Lovely, Lovely post, Lydia. From now on, I dub you, "Lovely Lydia".
My prayers and thoughts are with you, and that vet's wife.

Anonymous said...

It hurts when some one close to us leave this beautiful world...
Yet... strong lyrics.

j said...

Oh. Very melancholy. It is a miracle, but so sad when it is over. And it has to end at some point.

Lydia said...

@Lisa- Thank you for the sweet thoughts. I had occasion to pick up supplies from our vet yesterday and asked about the death of the one I wrote about. The clerk said it was a two-week shocking set of illnesses: stroke leading to hospitalization where lung cancer was found. (He wasn't a smoker.) I'm glad for him that he wasn't left incapacitated.

@Jennifer- Yes it does. I don't remember which passed first, Johnny or June but Emmylou wrote it after the passing of the first.

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