The Greek philosopher Heraclitus is credited with the idea that the only constant in life is change. Only fragments of his writings remain, one in which he says:
Everything changes and nothing remains still; and you cannot step twice into the same stream.– Source
If you read the previous post, then you are seeing a pattern, Change – and the above quote is quite intentional. 2023’s ending was an emotional rollercoaster for me, as I found myself celebrating another Christmas without my husband and when you add the usually difficulties any holiday season brings with it, then you can understand that I wasn’t exactly feeling the spirit of the season. However, let’s return to the quote with which we started this post with; Change is Constant.
Now, memory can be a mysterious beast – and for some reason, my memory decided to surface some very vintage (ie old) childhood memories of Christmas – you could say the Ghost of Christmas Past decided to pay me a visit. Those memories spurred me down the rabbit hole of related media to those memories, and sometimes I wonder if that’s just me or if anyone else ends up focusing like that – feel free to chime in if you do too! It was an enjoyable trip down memory lane and I discovered some wonderful gems, some I knew, some I never knew existed – specifically one, a song that contained lyrics that I now realize was more than just an ear worm that refused to disengage itself from my recent memory.
“Love Changes Everything”
First off, let us enjoy the transcendent voice of Michael Crawford…
I ran across this from a clip on Youtube of him in concert and the lyrics immediately resonated with me.
Here are the lyrics:
Love, love changes everythingHands and faces, earth and skyLove, love changes everythingHow you live and how you dieLove can make the summer flyOr a night seem like a lifetimeYes love, love changes everythingNow I tremble at your nameNothing in the world will ever be the sameLove, love changes everythingDays are longer, words mean moreLove, love changes everythingPain is deeper than beforeLove will turn your world aroundAnd that world will last for everYes love, love changes everythingBrings you glory, brings you shameNothing in the world will ever be the sameOff into the world we goPlanning futures, shaping yearsLove bursts in and suddenlyAll our wisdom disappearsLove makes fools of everyoneAll the rules we make are brokenYes love, love changes everyoneLive or perish in its flameLove will never, never let you be the same
I have spent the majority of this season of grieving, seeking out songs and music that speak to me, songs that have helped me process grief and also as a coping mechanism. I have several playlists saved and each speak to either a specific phase or a free for all of songs that help me to cope. However this song, “Love Changes Everything” (there’s that word again..Change), seemed to grab me and hold me metaphorically hostage, and it’s not necessarily about loss or grief, it’s more about the effect of love on a person and for the first time in over 3 years, I felt a sense of gratitude for the fact that I had in fact experienced love. I didn’t fall into a despondent state or immediately tear up, I just smiled and felt that wonderful warmth in my heart and soul. I carried that feeling through the end of the year, and also consumed as much Michael Crawford music as I possibly could, because who could resist that voice?
And finally we come back to that quote at the beginning of this post and the pattern that is emerging and making itself know to me 3 and a half years from the day I lost my love – Change. And that change has pushed me into Acceptance finally. Stay tuned, there’s a post for that coming..
P.S. I will probably write a post breaking down the lyrics to this song as well, because there’s so much to mine here and I do enjoy a good lyrical post – but this was mainly about Change.
Love Changes EVERYTHING!!!