Our daughter Hope’s status caught my attention: “I cry every time, especially when I see how much these four men love what they do.” She linked to a performance of Bring him home from the 25th anniversary celebration of “Les Miserables.” The song is a prayer for protection for a young man who is like a son to the singer. (Lyrics: bring him home). I watched the video and cried as well. First for the lyrics, then for the same reason Hope did. The singers were four men who have sung the lead role in the musical. They sing with passion. They sing together. They share the role and the spotlight and the cheers.

And since I was wasting time watching videos, I watched another performance of a “Les Mis” song. Back in 2009, Susan Boyle sang I dreamed a dream in “Britain’s Got Talent.”  Many people watched and cried and laughed while watching and then sharing this video. Susan appeared to be remarkably normal until she started singing. At which point she was anything but normal.

The nostalgia of that morning reminded me of the importance of going back. There is value in singing the old songs, in remembering the deep roots. Both of these songs are from a musical from a book about redemption and reminded me about another such book, another reminder about remembering what matters. At a supper one night, Jesus “took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.'” It was a simple act which gained weight a few hours later. A simple act which wouldn’t need an internet connection to recreate.

On a weekend which is about remembering those who have served, those who have died, remember.

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Speaking of old things, after taking a month off I’ll be starting again at 7×7 next Tuesday. It’s where I link to about 5 minutes of Bible and about 2 minutes of questions to ask God. Follow the link for more info. We’ll be reading in Matthew first.