Tell Me "How Romantic Is That"?

Lori McKenna is a song-writing master. I have adored all of her albums after discovering them on Spotify. She has a way of addressing relationships in a way that leaves me in awe. The full scope of life seems to be at her fingertips. Her best creates an impressive set list that competes with any of my favorite artists. She only started writing songs "professionally" at 27 years old. Clearly she has a direct gift from God.

One of my favorite songs is from her 2013 album "Massachutes" called "How Romantic Is That." The entire album is good. So this middle-of-the-pack song escaped my attention for a few spins. The melody is not pretentious or complicated. The lyrics are what caught me, but it took awhile. The song's premise is the reality of parenting and adult-full-schedule-with-kids type of love.

There is a familiar dread to being parents and losing all the romantic air in the room. Maybe after one kid it is not poignant in the air. But tack on a couple more kids and the reality is certainly evident. There is less and less time for husband and wife to enjoy time together. That time is typically needed for getting personal projects and tasks done. Though the song's focus is on that side of parenting, the song caught my attention in one of the later verses,

And that boy that I loved may not have been my hero
but the same is not true
of the man he became

I fit the description in the first line. I can only hope my wife thinks I think the later. I was not a good Christian when I married my wife. I wasn't even a good person. This line cut me where it really hurts. I've been an ass to my wife way too many times. And yet I find myself in a place with three children and her affection. How romantic is that?

This line caught my attention in the midst of an outstanding album. There was a weight to it that conformed itself around my experience. I immediately had to re-listen to the song and digest the lyrics. I got a great chuckle as I re-listened to the song and heard the intricacies of life,

When you get home tonight, 
there’ll be someone else sleeping there beside me
with "You Are My Sunshine" in a sweet serenade

I cannot express how real to life this is right now. We don't "get home" in the way she describes, but every night one of us is required to put our kids to sleep. Lately, it has been my job, but it rotates. As we have been living in my parents' house there have been more than a few nights of sleeping with a third (fourth or fifth) body in our bed. In fact Alaina and I haven't slept in the same bed very often the last two weeks. Yes, "You Are My Sunshine" is one of Judah's favorite songs. It is fairly common for us to sing it to him at any point in an evening. I blame the silly children's board book.

We are building our second house. There will be many more months of this chaotic and compact lifestyle. There may or may not have been more pregnancy tests taken. Life seems to be driven by strollers, diapers, milk, and vans. Alaina and I used to alternated yearly domestic and international vacations. Life changes. How romantic is that?

I won’t regret anything at all
if the only world we see is
outside the windows of our minivan

We bought our first minivan this earlier this year. It was a rather adventurous experience. The perfect example of parent life. I haven't seen a concert in years. Most date nights now are sharing a drink after the children are asleep while watching Netflix. How romantic is that?