My maternal great-grandfather, Big Daddy (Bourbon DeLoach) used to drive by the line of the pine trees in his later years. But that was in South Georgia where one could do that, sort of. :)
Well, it's not the lines on the road that I'm talking about today. It's the lines, the dashes, between the two dates that describe our life span. At this point, I only know the beginning of that time for me-- 1964.
What in the world got me thinking about this? Truthfully, life and death are things I think about from time to time. But this time, the cause for my focus happen to be two songs that I heard back to back two weeks ago. Literally. One song came on and then the very next song that came on was related to it in theme. I ended up looking up the radio station on line to get the songs so I could get the lyrics.
Together, the songs caused me to think about life. To reflect. To review.
The songs? The first one was: "Nothing to Prove" by Phillips, Craig, & Dean. Though the song is geared toward remembering a loved one who has passed away, there are many things in the song that caught my attention for living in the here and now.
For example, the chorus:
Saying live with no excuses
Love with no regrets
Laugh a lot and leave this life
With nothing left unsaid
Make this world a better place
Don’t be afraid to cry
And when its finally time, to say goodbye
Nothing to prove, nothing to lose
Nothing to hide
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
That's how I want to live. Sometimes I do live like that-- no excuses, loving with no regrets, laughing lots, making sure I'm saying what I need to say, making this world a better place (I hope), not being afraid to cry...
The next verse caught my attention too:
You see, life cannot be measured by
The place you live, the car you drive
The thing that counts the day you die
Is who you are, and what’s inside
So tell the truth, don’t ever lie
Integrity at any price
Your words, your bond, your highest price
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Integrity has become one of those big things for me. Even though my integrity was colored gray during a time in my life, or maybe because of that time, my word and who I am has become more and more important. I seek to live a life of integrity, to do what I say I'm going to do, to become a person of integrity. I won't always live up to that standard. I will fail. But, that is my goal.
The full lyrics to the song "Nothing to Prove":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx1inqsFmIU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvTE2dZEcA4
You taught me how to ride a bike
Tie my shoes and fly a kite
How to swim, and how to fish
To see a star and make a wish
Said its okay to make mistakes
Just don’t get stuck in yesterday
Forgive, forget, and move ahead
Because life is what you make of it
Now You’re gone, and all I have
Are memories I hold deep
But if I’m quiet, I hear your voice
Still ringing in my ears
Saying live with no excuses
Love with no regrets
Laugh a lot and leave this life
With nothing left unsaid
Make this world a better place
Don’t be afraid to cry
And when its finally time, to say goodbye
Nothing to prove, nothing to lose
Nothing to hide
You see, life cannot be measured by
The place you live, the car you drive
The thing that counts the day you die
Is who you are, and what’s inside
So tell the truth, don’t ever lie
Integrity at any price
Your words, your bond, your highest price
So guard it close, and live your life
So many things, I learned from you
Bout? life and love and play,
But I learned more by how you lived
Then what I heard you say
So I live with no excuses
And I love with no regrets
I laugh a lot, and I leave this life
With nothing left unsaid
Make this world a better place
Don’t be afraid to cry
And when its finally time, to say goodbye
And when its finally time, to say goodbye
And when its finally time, to say goodbye
There’s nothing to prove, nothing to lose
Nothing to hide
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The song that immediately followed was: "The Line Between The Two" by Mark Harris (formerly of 4 Him).
The second verse caught my attention:
Will I walk straight, will I be true
Will I finish strong
Will I stand up for the moment
When I could right a wrong
Because the legacy we have will never change
It's how we spend our days
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Once again, it's about living these days I have with integrity.
The full lyrics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWAYkZ6yk3A
A beginning and an ending, dates upon a stone
But the moment in the middle is how we will be known
Cause what defines us can be found within a line
Finding reason for our time
chorus:
And the years go by, how they seem to fly
They'll all be over soon
When our life is done, did we live and love
The way we wanted to
Cause everyday that we leave behind
Goes on to tell the truth
Of how we lived in the line between the two
The line between the two
Will I walk straight, will I be true
Will I finish strong
Will I stand up for the moment
When I could right a wrong
Because the legacy we have will never change
It's how we spend our days
chorus
I could live a life for just myself
Or I could live a life for someone else
But I'll live and die just to hear
You say
Well done my son come and be with Me
chorus
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
How are you living your life between the two lines?
Are you living and loving like you want to?
Is there anything you would change if you knew the second date was closing in on you? Well, it is. None of us really know when that second date is going to close the gap. If you think something needs to change, then change it. Talk to someone about it. Remember that you do not need to walk the journey alone.
Blessings on living in between the lines!
~Debra
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| Frank and Lottie Pruden, my paternal grandmother's (Nana) parents. They are buried in Dalton, GA. Though I never knew this set of great-grandparents, I've heard some of the family stories passed down. |
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