Through Our Years By Jim Ruff This is a time for family, and for reflection. This morning, my wife and I listened, with tears streaming down our faces, to a recording of Kenny Rogers singing “Through the Years.” For those of you who do not know this song well, I will reproduce them here: I can't remember when you weren't there When I didn't care for anyone but you I swear we've been through everything there is Can't imagine anything we've missed Can't imagine anything the two of us can't do Through the years, you've never let me down You turned my life around The sweetest days I've found, I've found with you Through the years, I've never been afraid I've loved the life we've made And I'm so glad I've stayed right here with you Through the years I can't remember what I used to do Who I trusted whom, I listened to before I swear you've taught me everything I know Can't imagine needing someone so But through the years it seems to me I need you more and more Through the years, through all the good and bad I knew how much we had I've always been so glad to be with you Through the years, it's better everyday You've kissed my tears away As long as it's okay, I'll stay with you Through the years Through the years, when everything went wrong Together we were strong I know that I belonged, right here with you Through the years, I never had a doubt We'd always work things out I've learned what love's about, By loving you Through the years Through the years, You've never let me down You've turned my life around The sweetest days I've found, I've found with you Through the years, It's better everyday You've kissed my tears away As long as it's okay, I'll stay with you Through the years Source: LyricFind Songwriters: Martin Panzer / Stephen Hartley Dorff Through the Years lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group “As long as it’s okay, I’ll stay with you . .” To us, there has never been a time when it would be okay to think of anything else but staying with each other. The bond that God knit for us at the very beginning has grown ever stronger, and the promises we made to each other at the beginning have been commitments we would always only cherish. For fifty years we have had the privilege of experiencing the power of love to smooth the “good and bad” into opportunities to grow closer together. We’ve never had a doubt that with the help of God “when everything goes wrong” we’ll only end up stronger in our relationship with each other. We thought the years of raising our children were the best years of our lives, even when they experienced or caused us pain. We thought those years of interdependency and concentrating on “kids” would always be with us, but they moved out of our lives into their own, like baby birds flying from the nest. But they have never left our hearts, and through the years we have had the privilege of watching them bring into our lives precious children and grandchildren whom we love very much. More recently we’ve even had the joy of adding new grandchildren through marriage. We have lived – just the two of us – together as empty-nesters for longer than we had the children at home, and we have been able to lavish more love and affection on each other. We have learned to know and to help each other, and to enjoy doing it, more than ever before. Now, in these days of distancing from each other for the sake of health, we count it a privilege to spend each day with each other, making memories that, the Lord willing, we’ll look back on with thanksgiving and tears through the years ahead. During this time of separation from other family and friends, love each other from the heart, fervently. Cherish each day. Take time to reflect. Be thankful. Soon we’ll be together again. .