“I Love”

A few mornings ago, I heard my husband singing parts of the song “I Love” by Tom T. Hall to our granddaughter.

I’ve always loved the song. The words are so simple, and they rhyme so perfectly. They go something like this: I love little baby ducks, old pickup trucks, slow moving trains and rain. At its heart, the song is about contentment. It reflects a life that isn’t rushed or complicated, where value is found in what’s already around you. That’s why I love it.

Listening to him sing brought back a memory of my father. When I was a little girl, my dad drove a fuel truck for a local gas company, delivering fuel to farmers throughout the county. On summer days, and on snow days when school was closed, I would sometimes ride with him. Those were days I looked forward to.

Around lunchtime, we’d stop at a little country store along the way. My dad would buy me a Coke, always in a glass bottle, which made it feel like a real treat. He’d get a sandwich for us to share and some chips. We’d eat, then head back out. I was the oldest of eight kids, so time alone with my dad didn’t come often.

Back in the truck, he would play “I Love.” Sometimes he sang parts of it to me, sometimes he just let it play. The song became part of those days, mixed in with the sound of the truck and the miles of road. And it wasn’t only in the truck. My dad sang that song at home too.

Years later, when I got married, my husband loved that same song. He sang it to our children when they were young. Now he sings it to our grandchildren.

It makes me think about faith in the same way. It’s often passed down quietly, through what we love and what we repeat, through what becomes part of our everyday lives. Long before children understand what we believe, they are learning what matters by what they see and hear again and again.