Life is good. That pretty much sums up the way that I’ve been feeling lately. It might be partly because the weather is getting nicer and summer is on its way – everyone is usually in a better mood at this time of year – but I know that a big part of it is the fact that I’m just genuinely happy. Mitch and I now have this beautiful little girl that makes our days that much better. We love every minute of spending time with her, and last Friday was one of my favorites days with her so far…
When it was just Mitch and I, some of my favorite evenings together were those that happened on accident. We’d get out one of our computers and look up our new favorite country song that we heard on the radio and play it on repeat on YouTube. Don’t laugh… but we’d spend hours listening to each other’s favorite songs and then it would remind us of other favorites from the past too. Before we knew it, hours would pass as we forgot about anything that was bothering us. We’d talk about what’s been going on in our lives, our plans, and we’d even reminisce about memories from the past too. I’m not sure what it is exactly about listening to these songs and the lyrics, but it’s always helped me put things into perspective and put me in a good mood. I’m pretty sure that it makes me feel – grateful. All of these songs help remind me what an amazing, and fun-to-remember past that we have, and they also makes me feel grateful for how things are right now.
Last Friday, I found out that Ensley might like listening to these songs as much as we do. It was late in the afternoon and she was bored of our usual routine of laying under her play gym, bouncing on the ball, or walking around the house to look at ourselves in the mirror. When Mitch started playing the new song by Eric Church called Springsteen on his computer, it was like that was what Ensley was waiting for. As I held her, trying to sing along (unfortunately I don’t have the “good voice” genes to pass along to her), we danced around the kitchen… and she just melted. The windows were open, and a warm breeze was coming in. Her little cheek was smooshed against my shoulder because she was so relaxed. It was perfect and everything in the world seemed right. As lyrics sang about remembering summer days and time gone by, all I could think about was how much I loved this moment. I knew there wasn’t anywhere else in the entire world that I would rather be than right there dancing with little Ensley. I was sure that this was another, of many, times that I would never want to forget.
Probably the upcoming “country anthem of the summer,” this song will always mean a little something more to me. I smile every time that I hear it. “…funny how a melody sounds like a memory…” is a line of the song, and this one will certainly always be a special memory for me.
