I Just Call You MINE - Martina McBride

This song is nothing short of amazing.  Every man alive should pray that this is how the woman in his life views him.  Every man alive should read the lyrics, watch the video, and make a conscious effort to become this kind of man.  We often hear people say they are searching for someone to complete them.  Someone to make them whole.  Someone perfect for them.  Why not take a look at a song like this and flip the script!  YOU become perfect for someone.  YOU wake up every morning with the simple goal of being everything for your partner that they need.  YOU work on being a better YOU.  Find ways to be a better friend to everyone.  Find ways to be the person that others can count on.  Be the person that everyone wants to know.  Be the person that brings smiles to everyone’s face when you enter the room.  

Read the words this woman feels in her heart about the man she is clearly in love with.  “I’d be a fool not to see or even worse, to forget, that you’re more than I deserve.”  “I fall apart and just a word from you somehow seems to fix whatever is wrong.”  “Nothing makes sense when you’re not here.”  “You’re the dream that I’ve been chasing after years of waiting for a chance to finally shine.”

Do you get that?  She waited for years for a man like this, and he makes her shine.  Do you make your partner shine?  Do you find ways to show them how much value they have?  How valuable to you they are?  Do you realize that people are treasures that are often overlooked and under-valued.  And a wise and loving soul will see the treasure and shine it up and hold it up for the whole world to see what they hold in their hand.  Are you shining your treasure?  If not, why not?  Tell me.

She is in a dream.  Her life is a dream come true.  Thanks to this man.  What can you do in your relationship to be this man?  Ladies what could you do to be this kind of woman?  Every day I wake up I pray for patience, kindness, understanding, compassion, and a list of qualities I want to be the building blocks of my character.  I ask they flow into my relationship so I can be this man.  What is on your list?

I pinch myself Sometimes to make sure I'm not in a dream.  That's how it seems

I close my eyes and breathe in the sweetest moments I've ever known.  It feels like home

And here I am.  I want to be your everything

There you are.  Turning winter into spring

And everyone that sees you Always wants to know you

And everyone that knows you Always has a smile

You're a standing ovation

After take years of waiting For a chance to finally shine

Everyone calls you amazing.  Yeahhhh.

I just call you mine

I fall apart And just a word from you

Somehow seems to fix Whatever's wrong.  Ohh

You reach into the weakest moments and remind me that I'm strong

You gotta know I'd be a fool not to see or even worse to forget

That you're more than I deserve

Cause everyone that sees you

Always wants to know you

And everyone that knows you

Always has a smile

You're a standing ovation

After take years of waiting

For a chance to finally shine

Everyone calls you amazing

I just call you mine

Nothing makes sense when you're not here

As if my whole world disappears

Without you what's the point of it

Cause everyone that sees you

Always wants to know you

And everyone that knows you

Always has a smile

You're the dream that I've been chasing

After years of waiting

For a chance to finally shine

Everyone calls you amazing

I just call you mine

HEARTWORK:  Write down a list of things you need to change to start becoming this man.  This woman.  Write down things you will change, things will stop doing, things you will start doing.   Create a mission statement for your relationship.  WHERAS she is the love of my life, WHERAS she is the blessing from GOD I prayed for, WHERAS I could never be happy without her, THEREFORE I RESOLVE….well?  What do you resolve?

Email me your list.  brainstorminglife@yahoo.com

To Make You Feel My Love - Garth Brooks

One of the most rewarding aspects of a good relationship is deep heartfelt friendship.  It’s in knowing that the other person is there when you need them most in your life.  It’s in knowing that you are there for them when they are walking through the valley of the shadow of death.  Being there for each other and knowing you have someone in your life that has your back and wants to be there for you through all of life’s ups and down is nothing short of wonderful.

How do we make this happen?  Simple.  Live the song lyrics.  Be that person.  When the rain is blowing in their face and the whole world is on their case give them a hug and tell them you love them.  Tell them it will be ok and you will get through it together.  Emphasize together.  Let them know they are not alone.  Smile at them.  Tell them you are there.  Make them feel your love.

How many times have we gone to bed alone?  Feeling isolated and forgotten?  Feeling like we don’t have the courage to get back up and face the next day?  How many failed relationships have we cried over?  How many mistakes have we replayed over and over only to bring more pain?  It all ends when that special someone comes into our lives and closes that door on the past.  They make the past a bad dream, and the future is once again full of hope and promise.  When then come along make sure you see what you found.  Make sure you never forget what life was like before they came along.  Make sure you appreciate where you are now and how you got there and what it means to be in their life and be in a good place.  The sun has set on the past, and now there is someone who has dried your tears.  They are ready to hold you for the rest of your life.  Do you have that person?  Thank God for your blessing.  Are you that person?  Pray and ask God to make you that person for the one in your life.

I know me.  When the person I am in a relationship wants something I will move heaven and earth to make it happen if it is within my power.  There is nothing that I would not do to see a smile on my girls face.  Nothing I would not try, nothing I would not give, nothing I would not sacrifice, if I could.  Mind you this is within reason.  Obviously if they want you to do something crazy that violates your morals or integrity of the relationship that is a non-starter.  I mean things within reason.  I would do anything to make them feel my love.  Can you say that?  If not, why not?

We owe it to them, and to ourselves, to be everything for them.  And trust me when I say that doing so is easy.  When you love them with all your heart doing for them is a pleasure and gives you energy.  It is not a burden or a drain.  It is empowering and it grows your love for them even more.  You are investing in your relationship, and the returns on that investment are priceless.

When the rain is blowing in your face,

And the whole world is on your case,

I could offer you a warm embrace

To make you feel my love.

When the evening shadows and the stars appear,

And there is no one there to dry your tears,

I could hold you for a million years

To make you feel my love.

I know you haven't made your mind up yet,

But I will never do you wrong.

I've known it from the moment that we met,

No doubt in my mind where you belong.

I'd go hungry; I'd go black and blue,

And I'd go crawling down the avenue.

No, there's nothing that I wouldn't do

To make you feel my love.

The storms are raging on the rolling sea

And on the highway of regret.

The winds of change are blowing wild and free,

You ain't seen nothing like me yet.

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true.

Nothing that I wouldn't do.

Go to the ends of the Earth for you,

To make you feel my love

To make you feel my love

 HEARTWORK:  Are you doing everything to make them feel your love?  If not then you should tell them what you are going to change and why.   Are they doing everything?  If yes then tell them how glad you are to have them in your life.  If not, tell them what you need them to change. 

Now That I Found You - Terri Clark

Just the idea alone that you have found someone like them is so hard to believe.  They care about you. They take their time to love you for who you really are and they don't judge you or make you feel bad.  They want to see the real you and help you open up and not hide things from them.  you can tell them all your secrets and they will still love you. 

What an amazing opening for a song.  It is a wonderful thing to find someone like this that wants to be more tomorrow than they were today.  That looks for new ways to love you and wrap you around their finger.  Life and love should be exactly like this.  Most of us have a past.  A History.  Full of things we regret and are ashamed of and embarassed.  And this person says so what.  I see the road you traveled to get here.  Turn around with me and lets look at the road ahead because that is all that matters.

I see the heavens open.  Again, another appropriate component to this song because love like this is a gift from God.  The heavens open and our lives are forever changed because of the person God sent our way.  We need to remember this truth and ensure we protect the gift God sent to us. We have something destined to make it through the good and bad times.  We have the chemistry that will give us the strength we need when we are weak.  Yes, there will be mistakes.  Yes, we will fight.  Yes, we will want to quit.  Yes, we will be afraid.  But if we keep our eyes on God and looking down the road ahead of us, nothing formed against us shall stand.  We are more than conquerers and we will be ok.  Because I found you.  Or maybe you found me.  Either way life is so good.

How can I believe
That my heart would find someone like you
You see me, the real me
No in bewteens, I had nowhere to hide
You took away the walls around me
Made me feel safe to share my truth


I see the heavens open, a heart that once was broken
Is holding nothing back
Now that I found you
You hold me like a prayer, you touch me everywhere
A lifetime just ain't enough to love you true
Now that I found you
Now that I found you

I do believe we're meant to be
Our chemistry will last forever
And through the years
We'll see some tears
We'll conquer fears
And together we will grow
Looking in your eyes
They tell me
I no longer have to feel alone

You see me, the real me
You believe in me

HEARTWORK:  Print the words to the song out and sit down together and read them to each other.  Start to finish.  Then go back and read 1 line.  And tell your spouse/partner how that relates to your relationship.  How it represents what is going on in your heart.  Explain things.  Tell them about your fears.  Tell them your secrets.  Tell them how glad you are that you have them and you can tell them these things because they are your best friend.  Take down the walls around you. 

If you can't do that.  TELL THEM.  They need to know what it is that keeps you locked away behind your walls.  Conquer your fears together. Cry together.  Cry about mistakes and missed opportunities and regrets and cry happy tears that your road looks so much different ahead than behind.  "Relationship partner, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL"

I'd Choose You Again - Forester Sisters

I have loved this song from the first time I heard it.  Absolutely heart-warming and fun.  An honest look back at a life well lived.  Here a girl is acknowledging that she is getting older, and with age comes wisdom, and now she is reflecting on the decisions she has made along the road of life.  I really like that she acknowledges mistakes made.  Some of them even come back to visit her and give her grief.  I certainly know what that feels like.  Looking at missed opportunities, errors in judgment, and just down-right regrettable decisions.  Feeling so helpless with all the “what if” and “would have” and “could have” moments in my life.

The thing I love is that she doesn’t let them keep her down.  She doesn’t have to be held hostage to those mistakes.  You really get the sense that not only does she see the mistakes, but she clearly learned the lessons and you know given a second chance those mistakes would be avoided.  She can look back and see not only the mistakes, but the best choices she has made.  And those choices are the ones she would happily repeat.  The others, yes, we all wish we could rewind time and make changes.  Erase parts of the past.  But they are part of who we are.  Did we learn anything from them?  Or did we find ways to snatch defeat right from the jaws of victory and do the same dumb thing over again?

She says if God gave her the chance to do it all again she would carefully consider those options.  Maybe make some wiser decisions.  But bottom line is she would pick that man again.  Without a doubt.  Thank the Lord for the man he gave her, and not miss a chance to say yes all over again to him.  The song is great because God is so central to the entire story being told.  Times were hard, and God sure seemed to give the easy road to others.  But regardless of how life was treating them, he had a way of making things ok.  He could comfort her and tell her it was going to be ok because they had each other. What more does anyone need when they have someone who loves them like that?  What does the world have to offer that would be worth losing that?  What is the world capable of throwing at us that could defeat us when we have that kind of love in our corner?  The love of her life kept her going and she was all he needed. 

If she could start her life anew, the first that she would do is?  Choose him again.  She knows what she has with this man and regardless of what other possibilities exist with other options, she would not make a mistake and gamble on another.  Stick with a winner.  When you have a solid victory stop looking around and wondering how you can trade your beautiful lawn for some grass just a bit greener.  Focus on the gift God has given you.  Grow that gift.  Water that lawn.  Make it the envy of all your friends and family.  Make it the example for your children.  Make it a life well lived with an unregrettable choice :)

Looking in my life
Through the eyes of a young girl growing older all the time,
Maybe just a little wiser
I can clearly see
All my mistakes keep coming back to visit me
Pointing out the roads not taken
So much I'd like to change but one thing I'd do the same

I'd choose you again, I'd choose you again
If God gave me the chance to do it all again
Oh, I'd carefully consider every choice and then
Out of all the boys in the world
I'd choose you again

Times weren't always good
Seems like the Lord gave all the easy parts away
But every time the road got rocky
You'd look at me and say
Had all you needed long as I was there with you
You're the reason I kept going
If I could start my life anew
The first thing that I would do

HEARTWORK:   Asses your life.  Write down the good and bad choices and write down what you got from them.  Rewards or lessons?  Which choices are your favorite?  Do they involve someone you love?  If so, share them.  If your choices are less than happy and they involve someone you love, tear that part of the page off and throw it away.  We are new creatures in Christ Jesus.  The past is the past.  Drop the hurt off and grab tight to the love.

She Is His Only Need - Wynonna.

Just the title alone should be enough for this post.  She is his only need.  This is the story of a simple man.  He doesn’t require much in life to make him happy.  He is not driving the nicest car out there.  His home is probably very humble and packed wall to wall with love.  I bet he has one suit and he wears it church on Sunday and sits there holding her hand during the service.  Saturday morning he does his “honey do” list that she put together for him.  She makes him a sandwich for lunch and they sit on the front porch rocking chairs talking about everything and nothing, sipping lemonade and eating those sandwiches. 

I often ponder this life.  A simple one.  Not complicated and demanding.  A man in love with the woman God sent to him.  Satisfied that she is all he needs to make it through each and every difficult day.  Life is not easy.  But when you have a good woman it sure is worth it.  So I would ask you who do you turn to when life is getting at you?  Where do you go?  Whom do you confide in?  

Can see the whole “grass is greener” idea looking at you at this moment.  I sure do.  A lot of people make the disastrous decision to allow an outside influence into your heart or mind.  Such a destructive thing to do…so inexplicably foolish.  This man in the song knew long before the ring was picked out that she was the one for him.  He never allowed anything or anyone to distract him from loving her.  Nothing would be worth what he would lose if he made those kinds of mistakes.  He tended his yard.  He watered his marriage daily.  He kept the grass cut and the weeds out.  You can see it as you listen to the song being sung.  His priorities never waivered.

And like a well maintained yard he added in the nutrients when it called for it. When he hears about something she wants he makes a way to find it and get it for her.  It doesn’t matter what it is.  He does it.  Having her happy is a priority that he is not willing to neglect for any reason.  They grow old together…why?  Because he invested in his relationship with her and grew it.  He never let his job be a higher priority than him and yet he is successful at work.  Proves that you don’t need to sacrifice your home life for a job to get ahead. 

Billy was a small town loner Who never did dream
Of ever leaving southern Arizona
Or ever hearing wedding bells ring
He never had a lot of luck with the ladies
But he sure had a lot of good working skills
Never cared about climbing any ladder
He knew the way in a small cafe, found the will

He met Miss Bonnie And a little bit of her was a little too much
A few movies and a few months latter The feeling got strong enough
They didn't own a car So it must have been love
That drove him uptown for a diamond
That's when he started goin'

[Chorus]

Over the line
Working overtime
To give her things just to hear her say she don't deserve them
But he loves her and he just kept going overboard
Over the limit to afford to give her things he knew she wanted
'Cause without her where would he be?
See, it's not for him. 
She is his only need

Ring on her finger and one on the ladder
A new promotion every now and then
Bonnie worked until she couldn't tie her apron
Then stayed at home and had the first of two children
And my, how the time did fly
The babies grew up and moved away
Left 'em sitting on the front porch rocking
And Billy watching Bonnie's hair turn gray

And ev'ry once in a while you could see him get up
And he'd head downtown
'Cause he heard about something she wanted
And it just had to be found
Didn't matter how simple or how much
It was love
And, boy, ain't that love just something
When it's strong enough to keep a man goin'

HEARTWORK:  Do you make her your only need?  Do you tell her?  It is not enough to love her.  She needs to hear it every day.  She needs to know it every day.  Find a way to show her every day.  You don’t need a million clever ways.  But come up with something out of the norm every now and then.  Send her a text when she would least expect it.  Call her and ask “Have I told you lately?”  Do something on the list that you have put off for a long time and when she notices tell her you were thinking about her and realized you needed to get this done for her.  Do the things that endear you to her.  Love is a verb.  Actions!