2 August 2021 – In the twenty years since “Lonestar” released the song “I’m Already There,” it has spoken to me so many times and tonight it has again. In January 2002, our family lost a friend in a car accident. She was a week short of turning 16 and had been the girls’ go-to babysitter when we lived in Oklahoma. Her mother called me a few days after to let me know because she knew how much her daughter had meant to us, and she had found photos of the girls in her room. The mother was distraught, and it broke my heart. The following day listening to the radio, I heard “I’m Already There.” The words made me think of the mother, so I bought the CD, wrote her a note, and mailed it. I hoped she would hear her daughter speaking to her in that song the way I did…Many years later, the mother called me to tell me that whenever she is feeling down and missing her daughter, her husband hands her the CD, and it makes all the difference.

Many times in the early 2000s, when I heard the song, I thought of the military in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families at home. Once married to a man who deployed and was unable to get a call out for several months, I knew how many of these families felt, and I hoped they would be comforted by the sunshine and the wind and know that their loved one was with them. It is difficult for the military member to be away from their family and unable to help when needed. It is also tough for the family to do it all alone. I know I was not good at it, and I pray for those who do.

"I'll be with you wherever you are
I'm already there
Take a look around
I'm the sunshine in your hair
I'm the shadow on the ground
I'm the whisper in the wind
And I'll be there until the end
Can you feel the love that we share?
Oh, I'm already there
Oh, I'm already there"

- Chorus of "I'm Already There" by Lonestar

After my husband died and I got angry with God, this song took on another meaning entirely. All I could hear was God saying I am here, but I could not see him or feel him. Every time someone said something about God’s purpose or His plan, or when someone would say God is with you all the time, I would just shake my head. I remember hearing the song during the time and cursing at God the entire time. I wanted to know how I was supposed to believe God was there and could hear my prayers when I just didn’t feel that was my truth.

As time went on and I started to feel a little less broken, I was able to see God all around me. In the mountains and the ocean, in the trees and the flowers, and in friends. I am still not sure God can hear my prayers or if he is just ignoring them, but I know he is there. I hadn’t heard the song in a long time, but I heard it many times while I was traveling. I was able to hear it and smile and think of the wonderful truth the song represents…there are people in our lives that are with us always even when we can’t see them, or touch them or hear them. It also made me aware that I need to be more intentional with the people I love and ensure they know I am already there.

Today, the song made me ache. A friend, who already has so much on their plate, texted to let me know that they may be MIA for the next few weeks because of some new struggles in their life that have to be handled quickly over the next few weeks. All I could think is what I can I do to ease the burden, how can I help. I made every offer and left them open-ended, but I wished I could be there to take care of everything for them. I know my friend knows my offer is genuine, but it doesn’t feel better knowing all I can do is pray and hope God listens and helps things work out best – it hasn’t worked well in the past, but it is all I have. The song immediately came to mind and made me hope my friend knows that I am right there by their side as they weather the storm. I’m already there and I’ll be there until the end.

Then, I immediately realized something more profound – my friend texted not to ask me for help or even to tell me their burdens. My friend’s concern was that while they were MIA, I might feel avoided or ignored. My friend was letting me know that despite how it may feel for a couple of weeks, they are already there.