Fred Stobaugh, 96, was married to his wife Lorraine for 73 years. He met her when she served him a meal at his window as a car hop. He said that it was love at first sight. "She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen." They dated for 2 years, and then they were married. The man loved her deeply everyday thereafter. About a month after Lorraine passed, Fred was inspired to write a song for her. He said that he sat down to write, and the words just came out. The reason that we know about Fred and this song is because soon after penning this song, he saw an ad for a singer-songwriter contest and he decided to mail it in. Fred has never written a song before, and he is tone-deaf by his own admission. I think love for his wife and thankfulness for a life spent with her just spilled over and had to be shared.
Men like Fred inspire me. To hear him talk about how grateful he is for the 75 years shared with his Lorraine tells me that he is well-aware that he has been the recipient of a very good gift that he couldn't earn and did not deserve. You can't earn real love, it has to be given. And this man, flawed just like the rest of us, was blessed with the privilege of a whole lifetime of discovering more and more of the beauty and intricacies of another human being. No one else would ever get to know Lorraine like he did! They shared life's joys and heartaches. She helped him grow into a better man than he was when he first met Lorraine. She was the primary instrument in Fred's life that God used to reveal his love for Fred in real, tangible ways. There is something awe-inspiring about a 75-year adventure with another human being. Think about all that those two have experienced together! How the world has changed, how the two of them have changed, and how they have shaped one another into the people that they were becoming. Incredible.
When I listen to Fred tell his story and see the way he tears up when he hears his song for Lorraine put to music, I think, "Fred is a wise man." Oppositely, when I see highlights from last night's VMA's I am reminded how easily we men are tempted to exchange real treasure for the fool's gold of cheap thrills. Like Odysseus's crew...take heed and prepare for the sirens. They'll kill you. And they'll keep you from discovering a treasure like Fred's.
"[As Jesus modeled sacrificial love], husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it..."
Oh Sweet Lorraine
I wish we could do
The good times
All over again
Oh sweet Lorraine
Life only goes around
Once
But never again
Oh sweet Lorraine
I wish we could do
All the good times all over
Again
My memories will always
Linger on
Oh sweet Lorraine
The memories will
Always linger on
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