Love Is The Answer

Musician Dan Seals passed away a few days ago.  Back in the 1970's and later, I could at times be found humming or singing in tandem with his voice on the radio, particularly when he was part of the short-lived duo, "England Dan & John Ford Coley".

My favorite recording of theirs was the song,

"Love Is The Answer", written by

Todd Rundgren:

Name your price

A ticket to paradise

I can't stay here any more

And I've looked high and low

I've been from shore to shore to shore

If there's a short cut I'd have found it

Light of the world, shine on me

Love is the answer

Shine on us all

Set us free

Love is the answer

Who knows why

Someday we all must die

We're all homeless boys and girls

And we are never heard

It's such a lonely world

People turn their heads

And walk on by

Tell me is it worth just another try

Are we alive

Or just a dying planet

What are the chances

Ask the man in your heart for the answers

And when you feel afraid

Love one another

When you've lost your way

Love one another

And when you're all alone

Love one another

And when you're far from home

Love one another

And when you're down and out

Love one another

And when your hopes run out

Love one another

And when you need a friend

Love one another

We got to love one another

*

Sure, some might dismiss this song as New Agey pop goo, but I always appreciated its emphasis of that timeless adage: “Love One Another”.

The following series of events really did happen; I've always wanted to weave this story into a blogpost and now seems to be the time, seeing as the experience involves the above song,

Love Is The Answer.

*

Several years ago, on a day in May, my daughter and I were driving from store to store in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, shopping for who-knows-what.  At one point, we were stopped for a red light at a busy intersection.  Do you ever suddenly relax and zone out for a few seconds at a moment like that?  Well, during that brief time a picture went through my mind of a person standing in the median area up ahead of us and they were being forced to make a quick decision on which way to jump to get out of the way of an oncoming car.  That is the absolute truth……that scene went through my mind, and I thought, “Gosh, I don’t know where that thought came from, but it would be an awful situation to be in.”  I should have sent up a prayer at that moment, but didn’t.

 

A few weeks later, in late June, right before waking one morning I had a two-part dream.  In the first part I was involved in a minor car accident (which did come true later that morning, by  the way) and the second part of the dream involved me watching several balloons which looked like faces wearing sunglasses.

 

Two days after that, I received a mid-morning phone call from my brother.  I figured it could not be good news, as my brother normally never phones me.  Sure enough, he related very sad news……our first cousin’s only son had been killed the night before in a tragic hit-and-run accident.  The driver was tracked down and was found to be drunk.  The accident happened at the intersection where the odd scene had floated through my mind!  The accident’s actual scenario was eerily similar.  My cousin’s 20-year-old son had been driving his motorcycle home from watching a movie at his girlfriend’s house.  Evidently, he had been stopped at the intersection and must have seen the drunk driver’s car barreling towards him from the opposite direction.  His motorcycle was found lying in the median as if he laid it down and then he most likely was forced to make that quick decision about which way to run.  He chose the wrong direction.  Oh, how very sad.

 

My siblings and I decided we would buy a plant to give to the deceased’s family.  I offered to go pick it out; my mom suggested a particular flower shop in Cedar Falls and I headed there on the day of the funeral home visitation.  Normally, I kept a few favorite CD’s in the car to listen to while driving, but as I headed to town that day I remembered with dismay that I had taken the CD’s into the house a few days before.  I thought, “Great…..I’ll have to listen to the stupid radio.”

 

After purchasing a nice potted plant, my plan was to deliver it to the funeral home.  My route would take me right past the scene of the tragic accident.  As I neared the spot, I suddenly became aware that the song playing on the radio was one I hadn’t heard in ages…..it was “Love Is The Answer” by England Dan & John Ford Coley.  This is the absolute truth……right as a I drove by the cross which had been set up at the accident site, these lyrics were coming over the radio waves, “Who knows why……someday we all must die.”  I shook my head in disbelief.  Right after that, I pulled into the nearby Subway for a quick lunch.  I sat down in a booth and unwrapped my sandwich, and right then the same song, “Love Is The Answer” began playing over the restaurant’s sound system.  By then, my amazement was so great, I could hardly eat.  As stated, I hadn’t heard or thought of that song in months, maybe years, and then suddenly I’d heard it twice in the span of five minutes, and right close to the spot where my cousin’s son had so recently lost his life.

 

Two days later, I accompanied my mom and stepdad to the funeral at a large church in Waterloo.  It was packed.  We paid our respects at the casket;  it was difficult to look at the handsome young man lying so still.  His parents appeared to be holding up well, but what grief they must have been feeling, despite the fact that they have a very strong Christian faith.

 

Once situated in the pew, I scanned the long row of flowers and plants lining the front of the sanctuary.  Suddenly, I almost froze…….right in the middle were several balloons which looked like soccer balls (the deceased had been an excellent soccer player).  As the balloons bobbed and turned gently, they looked for all the world like faces with sunglasses on!  Just like in that dream I’d had several days before!  On the way to the funeral I had told my mom about the dream, so I pointed out the soccer balloon faces to her, too.

 

The funeral actually had an almost joyous atmosphere.  Many people got up and spoke about how their lives had been positively impacted over the years by the enthusiastic Christian faith of the deceased.  He had a habit of urging his friends to get involved with church activities.

 

A few hours later, I was back at home and had just changed into regular clothes when the phone rang.  On the line was an old friend of mine, someone I’ve known since kindergarten.  She said, “Was that your cousin’s son who died in that accident?”  I told her it was, and then she said, “My cousin’s son died this week, too.”  I said, “Wha-at?!”  Yes, she had just returned home from his funeral in Colorado.  A tubing accident on a river there had claimed the life of her cousin’s teenage son, on the morning after my cousin’s son was killed.  Goodness gracious.  I immediately hopped into the car and drove to my friend’s house and we visited for a couple hours, amazed at the similarities in the two boys and their tragic deaths.  Both had had very outgoing personalities, strong faith, and lots of friends.  Both were survived by one sister.

 

Well, there you go……another reason why I’m so interested in dreams and coincidences.  Not that there is any particularly profound meaning in any of this, but the way these events meshed together seemed quite incredible at the time, and left me with the feeling that in some mysterious and miraculous way, everything is connected and foreordained.

 

And, don’t forget:

Love IS the answer!