BY Bill Reagan
“But oh, my dear, our love is here to stay/Together we’re going a long, long way/In time the Rockies may crumble, Gibraltar may tumble/ They’re only made of clay/But our love is here to stay.”
You probably know this wonderful song. It is a standard in the Great American Songbook. The most famous version of “Our Love Is Here To Stay” may be by Gene Kelley in “An American in Paris.” Just about every great singer has recorded the song, from Billie Holiday to Eric Clapton.
It is a beautiful tribute to the enduring power of love.
On this Valentine’s weekend our thoughts turn to love’s power and importance. I think of my dear wife, Theresa, to whom I have been married for nearly thirty-nine years.
George and Ira Gershwin were the talented song writing brothers who gave us so many great standards, songs like “I’ve Got Rhythm” and “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” George Gershwin composed the majestic “Rhapsody in Blue.” The brothers’ list of credits is extensive.
George Gershwin died in 1937 at the age of thirty-nine. He and Ira had been working on “Our Love Is Here To Stay” when George died. The words of the song, often interpreted as romantic love are really Ira’s tribute to his departed brother George.
We all know love when we experience it, but who can define it? Love is the attraction two people feel for each other, the need for one another’s presence, the commitment “til death do us part.”
Romantic love is by no means the only expression of love. My daughter recently gave birth to her second child. There is something going on there between mother and baby I’ll never understand, a very special love.
I don’t understand God’s love, either. So many people fear Him, think He’s an ornery old judge who wants to spoil our fun and can’t wait to punish us. He’s not like that at all. “God is love,” and His love is “here to stay.”
Bill Reagan is executive director of Loaves & Fishes of the Rio Grande Valley.
