Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.

• Psalm 139:7-10

So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

• Isaiah 41:10

When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.

• Isaiah 43:2

and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

• Matthew 28:20

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

• Revelation 21:3

Summer me, winter me
And with your kisses
Morning me, evening me
And as the world slips
Far away, star away
Forever me with love

Wonder me, wander me
Then by a fire
Pleasure me, peaceful me
And in the silence
Quietly, whisper me
Forever me with love

Forever me with love
And ev’ry day I’ll
Gentle you, tender you
And oh, the way I’ll
Velvet you, clover you
I’ll wrap you up and
Ribbon you, rainbow you
And shower you with shine!

Suddenly, magically
We found each other
There we were, here we are
I plan to let you
Happy me, summer me
Winter me, always be mine!”

• Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Summer Me, Winter Me

This song was composed by Michel Legrand for the 1969 movie The Picasso Summer.  It was the instrumental theme song, performed by Peter Nero.  After the movie came out, the Bergmans added the lyrics.  The song was recorded by many singers of the time, including Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughn, Johnny Mathis, and Barbra Streisand.

The lyrics speak of an everlasting love.  It might work even better today since there are many words that are not verbs, but in the lyrics, they are used as verbs.  That is a trend of our modern language.

Earthly loves do not last.  Even in our wedding vows, there is that part where you say, “until death do we part.”  I learned that the hard way three and a half years ago.  Until the end, we wintered each other and we summered each other.

But think about it.  Only God controls the weather.  Only God can summer me or winter me.  And the lyrics sound like God always loving, always there, always caring.

The few lines about how we will gentle you, tender you are important in that an earthly love relationship should never be one-sided.

But if we are looking at our relationship with God, our most romantic gestures would fall short.  And the “rainbow you” is totally misplaced in that God made the rainbow as a sign that He will never wipe out all humanity (except the eight on the ark) with a global flood again.

But I love the imagery of this song.  I listen to it and feel warm and cozy.

Why not?

God is there with us.  Let’s all feel His presence and His Love.

Here is Laura Fygi singing Summer Me, Winter Me.  Laura is a Dutch Jazz Singer (Dutch father, Serb/Egyptian mother).  After 48 years with my wife who was Dutch on her father’s side and an Indonesian mixture on her mother’s side, I like listening to Laura Fygi.

And do not love me for a season, Lord.  Forever me with love.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.