"You Raise Me Up"
A THEME FOR THE SUMMER
My morning walk on the ridgetop at Massanutten Mountain. — Photo by Bob Kirchman
Like Claude Monet, I had to explore different times of day up there. — Photo by Bob Kirchman
Lyrics By Brendan Graham:
Music by Rolf Lovland:
“When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up…to more than I can be.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up…to more than I can be.
There is no life – no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
And I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up…to more than I can be.”
“You Raise Me Up” became my ‘music in my head’ for a week’s getaway to Massanutten. Yes, I know you are supposed to vacation away from where you are working but taking the grandchildren to the Water Park was a wonderful experience. I remember when June Brinkman, the resort’s marketing director, first introduced me to the wonders of this unique mountain resort back in the 1980s. She lived in the shadow of this wonderful mountain even in retirement.
“View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm,” also known as “The Oxbow,” Thomas Cole, 1836.
