I was introduced to Jackson Browne by his best-selling album Running on Empty. Eventually that music led me to his other work, including one of my favorite Browne songs, "These Days."There are three verses and in each I find the lyrics following the phrase "these days" to be of significance to my relationships.
Verse #1
These days I seem to think a lot
About the things that I forgot to do
For you
And all the times I had the chance toAs we sent our eldest child off to college this year, we began to realize how little remaining time we have with our children in our home (although some suggest we may have more time with our adult children than we anticipate). I'm trying to look for opportunities to bless my children while they are still standing in front of me. At the same time making sure to protect and deepen my relationship to my wife so that when they are gone we are friends and not strangers. Verse #2
These days-
Now if I seem to be afraid
To live the life I have made in song
Well it's just that I've been losing so long
We have the opportunity to help those we love combat the fear of failure by providing a safe environment in which to experiment and find each one's individual path. As we age, the risks associated with failure increase along with the stakes. College transcripts really do become a permanent record; relationships leave deeper imprints; and investments cannot be as easily replaced. Let's encourage appropriate risk-taking so that our children can achieve their God-ordained potential. Verse #3
These days I sit on corner stones
And count the time in quarter tones to ten, my friend
Don't confront me with my failures
I had not forgotten them
Sometimes I think my children don't take events seriously enough. Instead of being paralyzed by fear it appears they have forgotten (or never acknowledged) their failures and the associated consequences. But amazingly our children are like us - the surface does not reflect what is in the depths. They have not forgotten their failures and rarely need to be reminded of them. We can help them understand consequences and avoid future failures, but there is no need to dwell on what both parties know to be true.
May the music of your life inspire you to healthier and more meaningful relationships!
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Thanks for reading and thanks for your comments!
You can understand each other - really!
Dr. Stephen Julian
Copyright © 2013 by Dr. Stephen Julian. All rights reserved. |
