Living life the way it’s meant to be

Our granddaughter Lucy was baptized on May 19 in New York. It was a wonderful ceremony featuring a booming organ, a full-throated choir, and an abundance of incense. Lucy took a keen interest in all the activities. She is a delight: gorgeous red hair, a mischievous smile, a curious mind, a happy temperament, and a strong will. Although she is not talking yet it is already obvious that she will have lots to say!

Almost as fun as watching Lucy is watching our son Neil as a father. I know that he and his wife, Eloise, are going to be terrific parents. This month I have been thinking of my own parents, who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on May 14, 1998, just one year before my mother died. Lucy is named after her.

My mother’s distinctive laugh could be heard across a crowded room. Although often in pain in her later years I never once heard her complain. She radiated welcome to any who entered her home. My (usually) optimistic nature is – I am sure – inherited from her.

My dad came from a working class background in Scotland, quite different from that of my mother whose father was a businessman in London. His lifelong passion for social justice, which burned strong all his 97 years, inspired my own work for racial healing and equity. Together, their greatest legacy to me was the belief that God has a design for the world and that every person can find his or her part in it. On their golden wedding anniversary I wrote a song for them and I share it now in tribute to them:

In a world of broken promises and houses built on sand,
Some people never seem to doubt the rock on which they stand.
So let me introduce two friends who have that quality
Of people who are living life the way it’s meant to be.

Oh what a pair! They have dare, they have flair!
Folks like this bring hope everywhere.
With faith and commitment, they've got the equipment
To build a love for everyone to share.

A Scotsman and English lass together found their dream,
Their bold creative spirits like two strongly flowing streams,
And as they came together, the sparkle you could see
Of people who are living life the way it's meant to be.

And as the years go rolling by they know where they belong,
In times of joy and times of sorrow keep each other strong.
And they have taught a simple truth that means the world to me
These people who are living live the way it’s meant to be. 

Oh what a pair! They have dare, they have flair!
Folks like this bring hope everywhere.
With faith and commitment, they've got the equipment
To build a love for everyone to share.

© Copyright 1998 Rob Corcoran

Thank you Mum and Dad!