Oh, How The Years Go By

       Cyndi and I married on July 28, 1979, so this summer is our 42nd anniversary. A few years ago, I realized one way to celebrate our anniversary was to spread love around. We feel fortunate and blessed to have each other, and we want to share that with people close to us.

       So, in 2007 I started giving away love songs. I searched my archives and the internet and found twenty songs I wanted to share - twenty because that’s how many fit on a CD. I burned a stack of CDs and started handing them out.

       And so now, I’m doing it again. This is my 15th collection to give away, but my second to give away as a playlist rather than actual CDs. This playlist is on Spotify – I will burn a physical CD for anyone who wants one, but as Cyndi reminds me, most people don’t have easy access to CD players like they did when I started in 2007. She’s right. Neither do I.

       The move from CDs to playlist was surprisingly difficult for me. Sharing a playlist instead of a CD is like giving an elbow bump instead of a handshake; it might be better and more in keeping with the times, but much less satisfying. Burning CDs was time-consuming but giving them away made my happy. It reminded me of giving away mixed tapes back in the 1970s.

       I’m sorry. One of my life goals to not become that Cranky Old Guy who goes on and on about the past. And here I am, doing it.

       Bummer. I’ll stop complaining.

       The only way to stay together in love for forty-two years is to constantly adapt to changes, and moving from CD to playlist is a tiny change compared to our lives these past months. At least when you listen to one of these songs on Spotify, the artists will receive a few pennies. I can be happy about that.

       Falling in love often feels like an accident, but staying in love is a learned response, a spiritual practice. If listening to love songs reminds us how to be in love, shouldn’t we all listen more often?

       I expect there will be many more of these since I intend to stay with Cyndi for a long time. If you have suggestions for future lists, please send them to me. In the meantime, play these and dance with the one you love.

       To find my playlists (I have them all, back to 2007), follow this link to Spotify, or this link to my webpage.

1. Anticipatin’, The Explorers Club, 2012. These young men must have listened to their parent’s Grass Roots albums when growing up, because they have the same vibe. It makes me smile.

2. Wouldn’t It Be Nice, Trousdale, 2020 (This is a sweet version of the 1966 hit by The Beach Boys.) “Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up in the morning when the day is new? And after having spent the day together hold each other close the whole night through.” Yeah, it is nice. Looking forward to more of this.

3. Faster, Matt Nathanson, 2011. Mrs. Simpson, “You make my heart beat faster.”

4. Anyone At All, Carole King, 1998, from the movie, You’ve Got Mail. Sometimes it feels inevitable that we ended up together married, but most of the time when I tell my story it feels fragile and improvisational. “You could have been anyone at all, A net that catches me when I fall, I'm so glad it was you”

5. Can’t Help Falling in Love, MountainCity, 2016 (Originally by Elvis Presley, 1961). It is a gift from God that even after 42 years together I still can’t help falling in love with you.

6. If I Love You, Gabe Dixon, 2016. “If I love you will you love me, too?”

7. Look For The Good, Jason Mraz, 2020. I know this isn’t precisely a love song, but the biggest part of love is looking for the good in each other, giving benefit of the doubt, always assuming good intentions. “Look for the good in everything, Look for the people who will set your soul free.”

8. Oh How The Years Go By, Amy Grant, 1994. Forty-two years have gone by amazingly fast, but it makes me happy that we’ve shared them with each other. I’m looking forward to the next forty-two. “And when the storms came through, they found me and you back-to-back together.”

9. Could It Be I’m Falling in Love, The Spinners, 1973. This song was recorded three years before I started falling in love with Cyndi. It must have had an impact on me. “You've made me such a happy boy.”

10. Slow Down, Gone West, 2020. Sometimes you make my heart beat faster, as in song #3, but other times you slow me down. “Just a minute layin' next to you and time stands still; You make want to slow down.”

11. Stuck On You, Meiko, 2012. “You are the one, I could see having fun with.”

12. Til I’m Ninety Nine, Nathan Angelo, 2013. I have thirty-four more years until I’m ninety nine. “When I'm deaf / and you're going blind; And when we're buying teeth to help us smile; Even if I lose my mind; I'll love you / I'm gonna love you til I'm ninety nine.”

13. Whatever It Is, Zac Brown Band, 2011. “She got a gentle way that puts me at ease; When she walks in the room I can hardly breathe; Got a devastatin' smile knock a grown man to his knees.” Yes ma’am, that’s correct.

14. Wherever You Are, Kodaline, 2020. “Wherever you are; That's where I'll be.”

15. You’re Still the One, Ben Rector, 2018 (originally by Shania Twain, 1998). “You're still the one I run to; The one that I belong to; You're still the one I want for life. You're still the one that I love; The only one I dream of; You're still the one I kiss good night. You're still the one.”

16. Your Smiling Face, James Taylor, 1977. “Whenever I see your smiling face, I have to smile myself, Because I love you, yes, I do … No one can tell me that I'm doing wrong today, whenever I see you smile at me.”

17. Loving You, Loving Me, Dave Barnes, 2018. “What I say out loud is only half of what's in my head; Tonight, I'd rather look at you instead; And I can't get enough of you.”

18. Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You, Jadon Lavik, 2017. “And I can’t take my eyes off of you.” Yep.

19. Meant to Be, JJ Heller, 2015. This is a song about inevitability, the flipside of song #4. “When God made you, He already knew, That we were meant to be; With love as deep, As the big blue sea, We were meant to be.”

20. Dance with Me Tonight, Hugh Grant, 2007. This is from one of Cyndi’s cookie decorating movies, Music and Lyrics. I’ll admit the lyrics aren’t the cleverest, but the song makes us want to get up and dance.

“I run in the path of Your commands, for You have set my heart free.” Psalm 119:32