I had every cassette.

I knew every word.

I had this amazing tent that mom and dad bought me for Christmas one year. I put it over my bed. I put her cassette in my pink radio / cassette player I had. I would listen for hours.

I thought this was the coolest album. Hot pink and leopard! I mean, really! So cool.

I used to listen to the song, “I Will Remember You”  and just know that I’d fall in love one day. (I was right!).

I felt like I knew her… like she knew me. I loved God and so did she. I wanted people to hear the song ‘Father’s Eyes’ and think… ‘Oh, that’s Katie!’. (I danced to that song at my wedding with my Father… no one knew that song, but he got it. Dad gets me. Thank goodness.)

Then, it happened… she and Gary Chapman got divorced. I took it personally. My hero. My friend. The lady I wanted all my life to be backup singer for…. divorced?

Then, it happened again. I grew up just a little. Years later. I understand grace. I understand mercy. I understand forgiveness. God loves me for who I am. He knows me (how scary is that?!) and still loves me.

I had a dear friend, Tina…. she would always tell me “I like you because _______ and I love you although ________”. The blanks were always empty, because it didn’t matter what words you put in them. She liked me for different reasons – I was silly, I was happy, I was confident, I loved God, I liked to sing…. She loved me although I was talkative, I interrupted her stories in excitement, we always did what I wanted to do….

I think God is whispering the same thing to us, each day… hoping that we hear Him through our noise and through our tears.

Listen today. You will hear, just listen.