Life With Each Other

In a close second to lover, "companion" was one of Craig's three most important aspects of marriage. An easy prospect to consider; harder if your personality differences bring new meaning to the catch phrase "Venus and Mars". But, for nearly 17 years of courtship and marriage, we've figured out ways to make it work.

The secret? Want to be with the one you love. Then be with them. In whatever way you can, every time you can. And reap the whirlwind of reward.

TV and music have been two of our "every way, every time" hallmarks. He'll watch Jane Austen and History Channel if I watch comedy and sports. Know what I discovered along the way? Craig often knows better than I what I'll actually enjoy watching...and he picks the shows with the best music. Case in point: Friday Night Lights.

I could write an entire post just about the nature of this show: its critical acclaim but hard-to-niche following; its wandering trek from network to network in search of just one more season; or how its faithful viewers trekked right along with it...until the recent series finale. Craig was one such trekker; certainly, more than one DVR, Hulu queue, and Amazon loader has seen the Friday Night Lights logo and geared up for multiple Plays - first, his. Then, mine. When we sat down to watch the finale entitled "Always", we found ourselves curled up, silent, waiting (as most finales have you) for the final frame to begin.

And then came the music.

When those final frames began, it was against the backdrop of this song by Delta Spirit. I say these to you: iTunes. Amazon. eMusic. Find it. Buy it. Listen to it. Repeatedly. As always, here are the lyrics for your persual:

Devil Knows You're Dead

And the sun shine warm upon your face
May the rains fall soft upon your field
Until the day we meet again

And the roof that hangs over your head
Find you shelter from the storm

Before the devil knows you're dead
May you be in heaven, my friend

May good luck find you at your worst
And bad love lose you at your best
May your days be rich and full of wealth
And your nights be long when you need rest

And the roof that hangs over your head
Find you shelter from the storm

Before the devil knows you're dead
May you be in heaven, my friend

And the road, may it rise to meet your feet
And be downhill all the way to your door
May the grass below be green and the sky above be blue
May it be so forever more

And the roof that hangs over your head
Find you shelter from the storm

Before the devil knows you're dead
May you be in heaven, my friend

I've listened to it 50 times if I've listened to it once. Every time sheds new light on someone I think about, someone I love. For that matter, it sheds light on saying goodbye. Saying "Until I see you again." Saying, "Be well. Be blessed. Be rich."

The rewards of companionship with my husband are many. And profound. And gifts. But they aren't all supernatural and abstract. Sometimes, they are the simple gift of a song found in a television show watched simply because he liked it. 

And because I like him. 

A lot. 

So I watch. 

And discover He's got something for me, too.

Like music I listen to again and again. 

Like music that Craig sits and listens to with me...again and again. 

Because he's my companion. 

Like I'm his. 

Sharing the simplest gifts. 

To discover we're living the biggest one He's got...life with each other.