My dad came to visit one weekend and if you know me that well, you know my love for country music. My dad never did put me down for the music I enjoyed. The life I loved in the country. The "redneck" that was inside of me screaming "get me out". He understood me. Brooks and Dunn's song "Believe" came on the radio as we were touring The Red Stick. He immediately turned the radio louder. He wanted to know who sang the song and where could we get it. And he meant NOW. We drove to Wal-mart to purchase the CD and I kid you not, he listened to the song the over and over and over (and over) as he drove back to West Monroe. He loved music as I did. He loved music that spoke to the soul.
If you aren't familiar with the lyrics, they are listed below.
Old man Wrigley lived in that white house
Down the street where i grew up
Momma used to send me over with things
We struck a friendship up
I spent a few long summers out on his old porch swing
Says he was in the war when in the navy
Lost his wife, lost his baby
Broke down and asked him one time
How ya keep from going crazy
He said I'll see my wife and son in just a little while
I asked him what he meant
He looked at me and smiled, said
[Chorus]
I raise my hands, bow my head
I'm finding more and more truth in the words written in red
They tell me that there's more to life than just what i can see
Oh i believe
Few years later i was off at college
Talkin' to mom on the phone one night
Getting all caught up on the gossip
The ins and outs of the small town life
She said oh by the way son, old man Wrigley's died.
Later on that night, i laid there thinkin' back
Thought 'bout a couple long-lost summers
I didn't know whether to cry or laugh
If there was ever anybody deserved a ticket to the other side
It'd be that sweet old man who looked me in the eye, said
I can't quote the book
The chapter or the verse
You can't tell me it all ends
In a slow ride in a hearse
You know I'm more and more convinced
The longer that i live
Yeah, this can't be
No, this can't be
No, this can't be all there is
This song was also played at my dad's funeral. It has so much truth to it. Over the past year, I have met a few Old man Wrigley's and I don't think it was coincidence that "we struck a friendship up". I believe that God was preparing me for the great loss I was going to endure on June 22nd. There are still Mr. Wrigley's being introduced in my life and I cherish the relationships that have formed. I have enjoyed their stories. I have enjoyed them pouring their heart out to me about life and experiences that have made them the person they are today. The older I get the more I learn about the brevity of life and the more I realize how important it is to surround myself with "the older generation". They have so much wisdom about life to impart to me. I don't meant those that look at life through "worldly" eyes but those that look at life with wisdom that comes from the word of God. They can help guide you through difficult times. They can perhaps share with you a similar story of their own. Don't let time slip by before it's too late and you get that phone call that Old man Wrigley has died.
Do you have a Mr. Wrigley in your life? Perhaps you do. Perhaps you don't.
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