Looking back down memory lane

to warm your heart.

Dear Reader,

Before we leave Valentine's Day 2024 behind, let’s take a look from the other end of a loving relationship: not of youth and anticipation, but of maturity and nostalgia.

May your heart be warmed!

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                  STRONG AND GENTLE HAND

When I think of how it's been since we were married
   I'm such a lucky guy – a tear comes to my eye
All the punches we've rolled with have been scary
   yet after ev'ry round, our feet were on the ground
Seems sometimes as if we're peering through a keyhole
   wond'ring what we ought to make of all the sights we behold
All the evidence suggests that we've been guided
         by a Strong and Gentle Hand.

If we had a secret window on the future
   would it be plain to see, our serendipity?
Would its closing be as simple as a suture –
   something beyond our will with supernat'ral skill
Could it be that growth and healing are a habit?
   Should we let the blessing wander by, or should we grab it?
What a gift it is to know that it's provided
         by a Strong and Gentle Hand.

Looking all about us, nothing stands to Reason
   Life came so hard and fast, how did we come to last?
In our heart of hearts, the weakness and the treason
   were somehow brushed aside by our Heavenly Guide!
Makes one wonder whether we could ever reckon
   all the wonders held in store for us – not for a second!
Surely Goodness, Love and Mercy coincided
         by the Strong and Gentle Hand.



                                                           JHCovington, 2021

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Afterword - - - for musicians only!

This is the first song I wrote specifically for the piano. Truth be told, I'm rather proud of it! It’s “wordy,” yes, and in that respect certainly not “radio ready.” The intent is not so much a finger-snapping, toe-tapping entertainment as a study in thankfulness and devotion.

The melody is original as best I can tell, and has enough movement in it to keep from boring the listener. (I might be persuaded to share a scan of the melody, and perhaps also the hand-written piano score.) The tempo took me by surprise, if I may say so. It's a 1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2; 1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2 time, which gives it a syncopated feel, a bit of a swing, driving forward, always with a hint of near-completion. I like it very much.

(I like it so much, in fact, that I intend to record it eventually. That should be fun.)

Drawing on a range of influences — from Bach to Joplin — I endeavored not only to make it upbeat and exultant, but economical as well. Rather than a string of chords, I approached it as a set of voices, ending up with four of them, two in the right hand, one in the left, the vocalist rounding out the list. I paid close attention to the harmonies among the first three, neglecting the fourth, so there might possibly be an unplanned dissonance between the vocalist and the piano. In spite of that, I think I can say that at this stage of my knowledge and experience I’ve accomplished something.

A professional composer (a dear friend whose initials are MN) looked the piano score over, and the only flaw I recall his having found was a pair of parallel fifths in the left hand. He said that it might be permissible. Since they're between phrases, I’ve decided to keep them.

There still needs to be a ragtime interlude. I’ve written an optional fourth verse (it’s hiding somewhere in my pile of notes) meant to be sung in duet, to cap off the nostalgic and sentimental feel. I think the key of G works, being slightly uncomfortably high for someone with a pedestrian voice like mine, staying out of the “chesty” lower register. (The upper-tenor-to-lower-alto range seems best to please the ear. I don’t know why, but that’s been my experience.)

Lastly, the lyrics. Ah, yes, these lyrics! What successful older couple doesn’t marvel at their having escaped catastrophe just barely, time and again, and at the many blessings that have dotted the highway of their life together? And then there’s the aspect of the character of an invisible, supernatural support. Why not use the metaphor of a hand to represent it? and why not a dual, masculine-feminine combination? Boom! Strong and Gentle. I wanted to accentuate “strong”, because the might of God is unimaginably great, but on the other hand, “gentle”, because His mercy and compassion are phenomenal (think Christ's vicarious sacrifice, an in-your-face proof, no mere boast). Each of these tells only a fraction of the story, but together, with a little repetition, biblical reference, and some examples - albeit general and perhaps vague - the “punch” comes forth.

I hope that many of you can find solace in this reminder of the Father’s care.