I Still Miss Someone

I sat at my desk and watched the leaves rain down as the northwest wind blew through. It reminded me of an old song by Johnny Cash called, I Still Miss Someone. The song has been recorded by numerous artists, including Emmy Lou Harris and Willie Nelson.

I have to wonder why we love that song so much. It may be the saddest song ever written; a song of loss and loneliness and hurting. I have dealt with loneliness, even though I have never really been alone. I left a large family to get married, and we had a son within a year, always surrounded by talk and fussing and laughter and extended family. Many times, I have thought that I was the only person in the world like me, convinced that no one understood that. As I have matured, I have learned that is a common theme among people: all of us so much alike as we struggle to learn to live and face down the fear that we won't be able to finish everything before our time is up.

But, still. Why does that sad song give us comfort? Does knowing that others struggle bring us peace? Is it because the song is not about loneliness for some, but about memories of a simpler time? Do we just love Johnny Cash?

Help me out here.

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Faith, Folklore, and Friends

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