A Love Story

A Page is Turned by Bebo Norman

A page is turned by the wind to a boy in curly grin
With a world to conquer at the age of ten
But as history unfolds and the storybook is told
He finds salvation but not at the hands of man

And the God of second chance
Picked him up and
He let him dance
Through a world that is not kind
And all this time, preparing him the one
To hold him up when he comes undone
Beneath the storm, beneath the sun
And now a man, here you stand
Your day has come

A page is turned in this world to reveal a little girl
With a heart that's bigger, as it is unfurled
By the language in her soul, that's teaching her to grow
With a careful cover of Love that will not fail

And the God of second chance
Picked her up and
He let her dance
Through a world that isn't kind
And all this time, preparing her the one
To hold her up when she comes undone
Beneath the storm, beneath the sun
And grown up tall, here you are
Your day has come

Beneath the air of autumn, she took him by his hand
And warm within the ardor, she took his heart instead
And high upon the mountain, he asked her for her hand
Just for her hand

A page is turned in this life, he's making her his wife
And there is no secret to the source of this much life
When the grace that falls like rain is washing them again
Just a chance to somehow rise above this land
Where the God of second chance
Will pick them up and he'll let them dance
Through a world that is not kind
And all this time, they're sharing with the One
That holds them up when they come undone
Beneath the storm, beneath the sun
And once again, here you stand
And once again, here you stand
Your day has come


This song always reminds me of the time several summers ago when we had just finished taking NFP classes (after over 9 years of marriage!) and went to a Theology of the Body seminar by Christopher West. Although we believed that we were following Church teaching for marriage before this, we realized through both the NFP class and Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body teaching that we really were not formed well in what the Church actually teaches and why.

I admit I was quite rebellious when we first were married back in 1998 (not really that long ago) about the Church's teaching on artificial contraception. And my husband went along with my rebelliousness. Sound a bit like Adam and Eve? I remember sitting in our Pre-Cana weekend with my arms folded and heart hardened to the Church's teaching on natural family planning.

After having our first child, I learned that birth control pills can actually be abortifacient and so we quit practicing artificial contraception. But it was not until nearly 6 years later, and 2 more children that we decided to go ahead and take Natural Family Planning courses and attend the Theology of the Body seminar. It was there that we learned the why behind the Church's teaching and where the scales were lifted to the beauty of sexuality within our marriage and God's plan for our family.

It was also at this time that God placed this song by Bebo Norman on my heart. It will always be a special song to both me and my husband. God lets us dance through this world that is not kind, but it is the careful cover of His Love that teaches us and guides us to Truth and beauty. And we found beauty in conceiving another child not long after that summer, our fourth, Sophia (Greek for wisdom). In a sacramental marriage, there is no secret to the source of this much life, where the grace that falls like rain, washes us again. It is God and His plan for us. And now we are expecting our fifth child next spring. Even though it is trying at times, and we fail often, God picks us back up and teaches us with every step where He wants us to go. And He holds us up when we come undone.

Thank You God for the chance again to somehow rise above this land and welcome another beautiful life to our family. Thank You for the gift of Confession and for giving us Your Sacred Heart in the Holy Eucharist. Let us never profane Your gift to us for temporal pleasure. In Your Holy Name I pray, Amen.