he never lets go

This week my parents celebrated their 25th anniversary. Apparently it's the "silver" anniversary; Dad tried to find something made of silver, but the man at the jewelry store told him it's an unusual thing to look for, that it has no value. (He settled for a huge pearl on a silver necklace; quite beautiful.) Mom also asked for a dozen red roses and got them (though their scent is so pungent they've spent time in the laundry room!). Dad, in case you're curious, got a really, really nice razor. It looked pretty fierce :)

I've thrown out the idea of doing a photo shoot this weekend somewhere of those two; we'll see :)

I just ran into this song that I really, really like... I feel like if I ever did a visual presentation of my photographs, like a live slideshow, this is the song I would choose to play over it. It's so beautiful, and soothing, and - thank God! - true.


"When clouds brought rain / And disaster came / O my soul, O my soul... When waters rose / And hope had flown / O my soul, O my soul, O my soul"

"Ever faithful, ever true / You are known / You never let go... You never let go, you never let go You never let go..."


The repetition of "you never let go"s is very effective, I think, and the brevity of the lyrics is almost psalm-like. What the heck: you can listen to it for yourself.

"Never Let Go" by the David Crowder Band.

The simple fact of my parents' 25th anniversary, and their successful raising of two children, is something to praise God for. I hadn't thought of it until this moment, but the rocks that my parents are to me in my life in every way is evidence of this song. God gives them the reserves of strength needed to raise my sister and me. I had a bit of a car mishap (ok, accident) this morning, and Dad told me he was praying for me on the bus ride to work that morning.

There are many ways He won't let go... if you think about it, all else does begin to cave away and diminish, unless it has roots in Him. We see decay and it shocks and frightens us, or unimaginable disorder and sickness. But there is always a foothold - I think it's Him. I've been through some tough things in the past several years, things that did cause me to ask questions of my faith, even of reality. But if it was up to me to figure everything out and walk out the door each morning with my worldview neatly packaged and wrapped, I couldn't do it. I look at Nebraska sunsets and every fiber of me wants to be in that color, to luxuriate in it. The same with flowers and particular slants of light... just watching people convinces me of the possible beauty of life. We can't ensure that or keep that, that's for certain. Something has to hold beauty in place, make it. We can destroy, but what that we destroy can't God ultimately save? He made it all!

Some of this is good for me to think about as I'm taking a very sobering history class - questions related to the Holocaust and torture and bombings of innocent people. I don't have that perfectly wrapped package... but I can point to the things God does give us, every day. I don't always feel it... but He never lets go.