Lifesongs: A guest post from Christian LeBlanc

Christian LeBlanc shares today as part of the How Can I Keep from Singing? series, with a collection of songs that have informed his ideas about love through different stages of his life. I knew that Christian was a gifted and generous catechist already, and after reading this post I’m happy to see that he is also a great connoisseur of music. I’m sure you will find at a few pieces that you know among his medley today.

Song lyrics have hugely informed my view of romance and marriage since before I could even read. For over 50 years I’ve sung the most influential ones around the house, at work, and in the car. Only in the last year or so have I recognized how being married for 26 years, having kids, grandkids & All That has deepened my understanding of those old lyrics for the better. Because I used to reflect on these songs, but now I participate in them.

I ached for lifelong love-

From France, Julien Clerc:

Comme un jour tu viendras sûrement/ One day you’ll surely come

Dans ce salon qui perd son temps/ To this room where time stands still

Ne parlons plus jamais de nos déserts…/ We’ll speak no more of just deserts

Et si tu restes je mets le couvert/ And should you nap I’ll cover you snug

Maintenant, comme avant/ Now as before

Restons-en au présent pour la vie / Let’s stay like this for life

Aujourd’hui, reste ici / From now on- stay with me.

 

My courtship was just like this-

From my grandparents’ hi-fi, South Pacific (where men wear coconut brassieres):

Some enchanted evening

When you find your true love,

When you feel her call you

Across a crowded room,

Then fly to her side,

And make her your own

Or all through your life you

May dream all alone.

 

And this is still my wife, who turns 64 this week-

Younger than springtime, are you

Softer than starlight, are you,

Warmer than winds of June,

Are the gentle lips you gave me.

Gayer than laughter, are you,

Sweeter than music, are you,

Angel and lover, heaven and earth,

Are you to me.

 

This is my marriage-

From my dormroom stereo, Yes:

Hold me my love, hold me today, call me round

Travel we say, wander we choose, love tune

Lay upon me, hold me around lasting hours

We love when we play

 

Look me my love sentences move dancing away

We join we receive

As our song memories long hope in a way

Nous sommes du soleil

Hold me around lasting ours

We love when we play

 

This is my family-

When I was a cantor, Psalm 128:

Your wife like a fruitful vine in the heart of your house

Your children like shoots of the olive around your table

May the LORD bless you from Zion all the days of your life

May you see you children’s children in a happy Jerusalem

 

Now we’re in our waning years-

From my parents’ hi-fi, the Four Freshmen:

As the days grew old and the nights passed into time

And the weeks and years took wing

Gentle boy, tender girl, their love remained still young

For their hearts were full of spring

 

Then one day they died and their graves were side by side

On a hill where robins sing

And they say violets grow there the whole year ’round

For their hearts were full of spring

 

From the radio, Minnie Ripperton, who died much too young:

No one else can make me feel
The colors that you bring
Stay with me while we grow old
And we will live each day in springtime
Cause loving you has made my life so beautiful
And every day my life is filled with loving you

 

And this my life even until today-

From the Greenville County Library LP collection, Billie Holliday:

Living for you, is easy living.

It’s easy to live when you’re in love.

And I’m so in love,

There’s nothing in life, but you.

 

I’ll never regret the years I’m giving.

They’re easy to give when you’re in love.

I’m happy to do whatever I do, for you.

For so long through so many songs I imagined lifelong love. Now I live lifelong love in ways I couldn’t have imagined. The songs are old; but love grows, and blooms anew.

Christian LeBlanc’s pre-Vatican II childhood was spent in South Louisiana, where he marinated in a Catholic universe and acquired a Catholic imagination. During his middle school years in South Carolina’s Bible Belt, Christian was catechized under the benevolent dictatorship of Sister Mary Alphonsus, who frequently admonished him using the nickname “Little Pagan.” After four years of teaching Adult Ed and RCIA, he returned to Sr. Alphonsus’ old classroom to teach Catechism himself. In his day job as an architect, he’s currently working on this lovely project: http://olrchurch.mojoe.net/newchurch/

Married to Janet, the LeBlancs have five children and two grandsons. Christian and Janet belong to St. Mary’s Parish in Greenville, South Carolina.

Check out Christian’s book on Bible-based catechesis at https://www.createspace.com/3835986