I Hope You Dance

This entry is dedicated to Noah:

One of the greatest joys of fatherhood is dancing with my little boy. Many evenings you can find us dancing around the family room with the subwoofer rumbling. If a song comes on without much of a beat, Noah will make me turn the radio station until we find a good song. Then he cranks up the volume.

Friday night is dance party night at the local Eighties radio station and we just got done dancing to Vanilla Ice, Baltimora, and even some early Michael Jackson. Sometimes Noah shows off his solo moves, and sometimes he wants to be swung around in one (or both :-) of his parent's arms. He's not usually content with just dancing with Papa -- he usually wants his Mama to join in the fun as well.

Every time we dance, a song goes through my head:

I Hope You Dance

Performed by: Lee Ann Womack
Lyrics by: Mark D. Sanders and Tia Sillers

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give fate a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake
But it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their years and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)

I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
Dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
(Wants to look back on their years and wonder)
I hope you dance
(Where those years have gone)

(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their years and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)

It is a beautiful song in every sense of the word -- even the video is beautiful.

I so love the short snippets of time that I get to dance with Steph and Noah. They are some of the few moments in my life when I feel totally free and full of joy. There are times when I'm tired and just want to sit it out, but I am continually rewarded by choosing to dance.

Noah, I love your joyful disposition and your free spirit - may they always be a part of who you are. When life throws a few hurdles your way, I hope you dance right through them!

Love,

Papa

Posted by jethro at February 11, 2005 08:45 PM | TrackBack