Nothing to Prove

I heard this song the other day, and as I listened the tears began to fall. It reminds me so much of my Mama and the things she taught me about life and faith and love and God. If you are a "newer" friend or a new reader of my blog, you may not know that my Mama went home to be with Jesus just 10 days after being diagnosed with Leukemia, when I was 20 and my sister 16. She was a breath of fresh air who had a beautiful and loving heart. The message of this song is so like what she tried to teach me. I wish I had listened more to her when she was here, but I am thankful for the beauty and joy that she brought to my life, and for the HOPE I have in Jesus and His resurrection that means I will see her again.

Even if all of the lyrics don't exactly fit (she didn't teach me how to fish, my Daddy did), these lyrics ring true when I think of her life and how she lived. More than sixteen years later, I miss her still and hold tightly to the memories I have of her laughter, her funny impressions of the witches in Macbeth, her words of encouragement, her soprano voice singing along to James Taylor songs, her love of beautiful words and music, and her unselfish heart that gave so much to everyone around her. Although she left us to go home long before I would have chosen, she most certainly left a legacy of love that endures.



Nothing to Prove by Dan Dean

You taught me how to ride a bike
Tie my shoes and fly a kite
How to swim, and how to fish
To see a star and make a wish
Said it's okay to make mistakes
Just don't get stuck in yesterday
Forgive, forget, and move ahead
Because life is what you make of it
Now you're gone, and all I have
Are memories I hold dear
But if I'm quiet, I hear your voice
Still ringing in my ears

Saying live with no excuses
Love with no regrets
Laugh a lot and leave this life
With nothing left unsaid
Make this world a better place
Don't be afraid to cry
And when it's finally time, to say goodbyeNothing to prove, nothing to lose
Nothing to hide
You see, life cannot be measured by
The place you live, the car you drive
The thing that counts the day you die
It's who you are, and what's inside
So tell the truth, don't ever lie
Integrity at any price
Your word's, your bond, your highest price
So guard it close, and live your life
So many things, I learned from you
About life and love and play,
But I learned more by how you lived
Then what I heard you say

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Thank you, Lord for your grace that means I have nothing to prove, because it is not about me--it's about YOU! And thank you for the love that you poured into my life through the person of my mother.

Still Learning,