Seasons in the sun (tea)

We had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the hills that we climbed
Were just seasons out of time

Terry Jacks' version of 'Seasons In the Sun' was one of the more influential songs I remember from my childhood. It came out in 1973, so I was 9 years old - same age as my granddaughter (sorry for the edit but, after doing math, I was actually 11). While recent critics have labeled it 'one of the worst pop songs ever recorded,' there are few others that take me back to those youthful days of innocence. 

Ironically, Jacks didn't even write the song. It was originally written and performed in French by the Belgian poet-composer Jacques Brel in 1961. He wrote it in a whorehouse in Tangiers about an old man dying of a broken heart. It was a farewell to his priest, his best friend, and his wife, who had cheated on him with said best friend.

American poet Rod McKuen translated the lyrics to English, and in 1964 The Kingston Trio released the first English-language version of the song. This is the version Terry Jacks heard, which became the basis for his rendition.

Jacks changed the lyrics and sentiment of the song based on the circumstances of a close personal friend who died from leukemia. He later ended up buying a boat with the money he'd made from his biggest hit and rightfully named it 'Seasons in the Sun.' He began sailing up and down the west coast of Alaska and Canada and had some revelations along the way, eventually becoming a Christian environmental activist.

I find it amazing how this song written in a whorehouse became instrumental in someone changing their life, and the lives of others, for the better! One could say God may even enjoy such things.

Which brings us to yesterday...

My gosh, what a clusterfuffle. I'm not claiming any special insight or wisdom, but I anticipated something exactly like what happened in our nations capital. That explains my recent funk.

I've been sharing my fear of a civil war for months. In my opinion, trump got exactly what he wanted. He has never been about America, or democracy, or anything other than gaining attention for himself and seeing just how loyal people would be to him. I bet he had the biggest hard-on he's ever had in his life as rioters stormed into the capital building.

There is more I would like to say, but I think we've heard quite enough already. I wish they would remove him from office immediately, but have no confidence they will. I wonder how much lower he may still stoop before all is said and done.

At any rate, 'Seasons In the Sun' gives me a glimmer of hope. Perhaps some good may come out of this trump experiment yet. Maybe false christianity and 'fake news' and all the other conspiratorial shenanigans of the past four years - and, really, ever since the Tea Party has become mainstream - will finally be shown for what they are. And I am not claiming democrats will right the ship (unless God decides that's who he wants to do it), because what man intends and how God works things out don't always go hand in hand.

I suppose it's also true we may be headed right down the wormhole and the country will never recover. I don't know. Whatever happens, though, I'm trying to keep things in perspective. It's a big world; eternity is a long time; no one knows how things will turn out...

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Genesis 50:20

"You plotted evil against me, but God turned it into good, in order to preserve the lives of many people who are alive today because of what happened." (Joseph)