Family Man

My husband introduced me to this Andrew Peterson song a couple weeks ago.  Warning, ladies:  You may want to have Kleenex nearby.


"Family Man" from Trevor Little on Vimeo.



I don't know if it was the song itself that made me cry, my lovely pregnancy hormones, or that while this song was playing for me, I could hear my husband in the kitchen, feeding our daughter, and that he'd ordered me to bed (to keep from getting sick again).  If you're married to a Family Man, thank the Lord your God every day for that blessing.  It's nothing to take for granted.

I'm not sure how I missed this song, since the CD Love and Thunder came out in 2003.  I suppose I can blame it on my limited options on Christian radio stations in the area.  I rarely hear Andrew Peterson on the radio, aside from "Isn't it Love" occasionally.  Really, it's my fault.  I haven't followed him at all in recent years.  But I still listen to the same 10 year old CD, Carried Along, which first introduced me to Peterson with "The Chasing Song" and "Nothing to Say."  Every song on it is excellent, but I've never heard an Andrew Peterson song I didn't like. 

His music is honest and real, not glossing over problems in marriage or life.  "The Coral Castle" on Carried Along is a perfect example of his honesty in music.  These are my favorite lyrics from "Family Man:" So come on with the thunder clouds/ Let the cold wind rail against us, let the rain come down/ We can build a roof above us with the love we've found/ We can stand our ground/ So let the rain come down.  Marriage and family life aren't always easy, but trials will either strengthen us or divide us.  It's our response that determines which effect trials will produce.  

If you want to hear more Andrew Peterson, check out this song, "Dancing in the Minefields," from his latest CD, Counting Stars (which comes out tomorrow!).  This song seems to be spreading like wildfire online.  Several friends have posted the video on Facebook, blogs, or e-mails. 



Here is Peterson's blog post about making the video.  I can't pick favorite lyrics from this song.  It's all too good and too true.  The chorus says We went dancing in the minefields/ We went sailing in the storm/ And it was harder than we dreamed/ But I believe that's what the promise was for. 

In two weeks, we'll be celebrating our eighth wedding anniversary, and I think I can say that marriage is harder and sweeter than either of us could've imagined.