The Living Years

I've always liked this song. It speaks of regrets--of things said and not said, of painful memories and memories dreamed of but never made. It reflects upon how quickly the years pass and calls upon us to cherish our time with loved ones while we are yet able. The song was co-written by Mike Rutherford and B. A. Robertson, both of whom had recently lost their fathers when it was composed. Naturally, it calls to mind my own father, and now, my father-in-law. It saddens me that my children have no memory of my father--my oldest was not even two years old when he died, and my other children came years after. But more and more I realize that the "living years" are not these earthly ones. These seem to me more aptly called the "surviving years"--the ones during which all we can do is cling to the cross of Christ and hold on for dear life. Thanks be to God that we are not so much holding on to Him as He is holding on to us. And thanks be to Him that He has promised never to let go, bringing us one day to the true "living years," where there will be no more regrets and no more longing, but only a perfect present in the eternal presence of the Creator.

Mike And The Mechanics -The Living Years