"There's something I want you to listen to," I said to my Gary Cooperish cowboy husband this morning.
"Make it quick," he said distractedly. He was loading his big dual-cab pickup for a long business trip, trying to remember everything from extra-warm winter clothes to power point screens to reports to the apples he takes on trips for snacks and makeshift meals.
As I clicked through the stereo remote, he said irritably, "What is it, anyway?"
"Josh Groban," I said, referring to the young and immensely talented baritone whose music can make the spirit soar. "He remembered," I pointed out. "He remembered that there is a war on."
This pulled him up short.
"He took an old World War II standby," I explained, "and updated it for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan."
While Kent dug through his briefcase, I put on Groban's new Christmas CD, NOEL, and clicked onto the song, "I'll Be Home for Christmas."
But it wasn't music that came from the speakers. It was recorded messages from the troops, identifying themselves and wishing their loved ones back home in towns all over the country a Merry Christmas.
The song began, with full orchestral accompaniment, and about halfway through, the music faded and there were more messages from soldiers and Marines, only this time, they talked about how much they missed being home. One spoke of her four-year old daughter and how much she would miss seeing her little girl's face on Christmas morning.
Kent bolted from the room.
As the song continued, I could hear him blowing his nose. Cold and flu season dontcha know.
As the song came to an end, more voices sounded forth. One was an officer imploring all of us to remember the men and women who were deployed, followed by family members, saying how much they would miss their loved ones, and the last voice was a little girl, saying how she'd set aside a special present for her daddy.
After a while, Kent came back into the room, his eyes red, and continued packing.
Now you must understand that, as a rule, I don't usually respond to shmaltzy, sappy, overly-sentimental patriotic crap that well-meaning people tend to send to me. I think it glorifies war, as a rule, and makes it easier to think of it more as an inspirational movie than heartbreaking real life.
And I really REALLY resent some entertainers (my son hates Toby Keith for this reason) who have used their music as war-propaganda while they, themselves, would never dream of enlisting even as they make millions off their records urging others to do so.
But this song is different from all of that. In a quiet, classy way, this incredibly talented young man simply REMEMBERS. At a time when most news reports begin and end with shopping stories, he REMEMBERS.
I urge you to buy this CD, if for no other reason than to support the fact that somebody, somewhere...did not forget the reality of war and those who have been away from home for so very long.
The rest of the music on the CD is gorgeous. Some songs have a boys' choir in the background; in one song he does a duet with Faith Hill that is lovely; and the orchestra is powerful.
Even if you're not into this kind of music, I guarantee this song, "I'll Be Home for Christmas," will be well worth a listen.
God bless you, Josh Groban, and from this combat mom, thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
