"Dear Old Days"

 "Thus saith the LORD, 'Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.'" Jeremiah 6:16

Does anyone else miss the good old days—back when life was simpler and people were kinder and more God-fearing? I think the older we get, the more we think about those carefree days of childhood when we were home under the umbrella of our parents' love. Nostalgia becomes more a part of us as conditions in our current world become more and more upside down, and we miss the normalcy and decency of days gone by.

"Dear Old Days" is a song I wrote about a young girl leaving home, heart filled with hope and dreams, searching for "better things to come," but discovering that nothing out there could ever compare to what she left back at home. 

Haven't we all come full circle and to the same conclusion? 

When we are young, old age seems so far away. Days feel so long until we hit middle age and suddenly realize that we have more than likely already lived more years than we have left to live. The closer we get to the end of life, the more we realize how blessed we were way back then in years of carefree childhood with so much life ahead of us. I doubt if there are any of us who wouldn't go back if given the chance. But if, by some miracle, we were offered that opportunity, would we still see "those dear old faces we grew to love in those dear old days?" Would everything be the same—the way it was back then?

Of course, life teaches us that things would not be the same. Many, if not all of those "dear old faces" have gone on to their eternal reward. Life has sped along in the name of "progress," and we now find ourselves in such strange, unfamiliar life circumstances and a society that in no way resembles those dear old days.

I can't remember exactly when I wrote the song, "Dear Old Days," but I know it was sometime after Kevin and I were married and while we were still living in Florida. Having grown up in Southwest Ohio and never having lived in Carolina, up to that point, I find it so ironic now that Kevin, Zach, and I actually did move there when Zach was eight months old, and we lived there for nearly 15 years! When I wrote the song, I never dreamed I would one day live in Carolina, nor did I even imagine how hard it would be for me to leave our home there when God called us to minimize, get out of debt, and move. (If you're interested, you can read our minimizing story in our book Biblical Minimalism.)

While the location and some of the details in the lyrics to "Dear Old Days" aren't my exact life story and creative/narrative/artistic license aspects were mixed in for dramatic effect, the lyrics were wrenched from a place of deep longing—for my childhood, my Mom and Daddy, old family times, and the mountains near where my Daddy was raised.

In the video, during the first chorus of "Dear Old Days," you will see a picture of a little gray house. 

If you know my story, you will probably remember that we moved about 47 times as I was growing up. There are some houses and addresses I would rather forget, but there is one I remember with great fondness time after time. It was the house we lived in longest, as Mom and Dad actually signed not one, but two rental leases there! I remember how secure I felt knowing they had re-signed and we would stay put for at least one more year.

I loved that house and remember it well. Our basement had a ping-pong table, and there was a bar in the corner, where my Daddy and I used to play our guitars and sing. I can still see us sitting there—Dad so vibrant and healthy, and me—head packed full of dreams of becoming a singer one day.

A few years ago, Kevin, Zach, and I went back to Ohio for a family reunion, and a plan began to form in my mind. What if I could take Kevin and Zach to see that little house? What if I could find it, and we could stand where Mom, Dad, and I stood so many years ago?

At first, I was excited, but then I started wondering if I could handle it, emotionally. All those memories rushing back, knowing Mom and Dad are gone, realizing how everything has changed since I left there all those years ago—eyes filled with tears, heartbroken when we had to move. I finally mustered the courage, and I can't quite describe how I felt when I saw this sign.

The rush of emotions and memories that washed over me felt like a tidal wave and was hard to process. We made the turn, and soon we were there—sitting in front of that dear, little house. Not much had changed other than it used to be white with black shutters, and the shrubbery is gone that used to line the sidewalk. Other than that, it felt like stepping into a time warp—it felt a lot like home.

We drove around to the parking lot of the big church that is located behind the house so I could see the backyard where I used to play. All that really seemed to be missing was Mom and Dad and a young girl with a head and heart full of dreams.

When I finally felt ready to pull myself away, it felt like I was leaving someplace sacred—like Mom and Dad should still be standing there in that yard like they were in this picture.

I still remember taking this photo of them by the shrub-lined sidewalk in front of that house. Those were happy days. When it came time to renew that lease the third time, we ended up moving, and I cried like a baby. Seeing that house again brought it all back.

When Mountain Hope Band was asked to perform a three-hour live radio broadcast on 96.3 "The Possum" Canjoe* John's Mountain Matinee Radio Show, we included "Dear Old Days" in our setlist. 

Pat Hull, my dear friend and fellow band member, is also an amazing photographer. You can find his photos here. He so graciously allows us to use them when creating lyric videos for our music, and you will find a lot of them in the "Coal Miner's Daughter" video and this one, also.

Your "dear old days" may look worlds apart different from my "dear old days," but I think we can all relate to the message in this song. I hope you enjoy watching and listening to it, and if you do, please consider clicking over to YouTube to give us a like and subscribe to our channel. We deeply appreciate your support and encouragement!

God bless you all and keep you always in His tender, loving care.