Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

5 on Friday

5 on Friday: Love songs that reflect the reality of marriage

5 on Friday is a new weekly feature on the blog where I’ll share five things I’m reading, watching, listening to, enjoying, thinking about … you get the idea. Read the first one here.

sweet love

photo courtesy of Stock Xchange (www.sxc.hu)

Valentine’s Day is next week, and while I have nothing against sappy love songs (hello, I was like Bryan Adams’ biggest fan in the ’90s), I’ve found myself drawn to love songs that show the beauty of marriage and love in spite of difficulties and hard work.

So, here are five love songs that reflect the reality of marriage.

  1. “A Page is Turned” by Bebo Norman. This was our “first dance” song at our wedding.
  2. “Dancing in the Minefields” by Andrew Peterson. I cry every time I hear this one on the radio.
  3. “Hold Up My Arms” by Andrew Peterson. It won’t be perfect, but we need each other.
  4. “The Garden” by Jason Gray. Marriage=hard work. But the fruit is worth it. (Note: This is from one of his older albums.)
  5. “Fly” by Sara Groves. Remind me why you married me. Because sometimes I forget.

What would you add?

5 on Friday: TV shows that make me laugh out loud

5 on Friday is a new weekly feature on the blog where I’ll share five things I’m reading, watching, listening to, enjoying, thinking about … you get the idea. This is the first. tv

Five TV shows that make me laugh out loud:

  1. Duck Dynasty. We resisted jumping on this bandwagon for a while, but now we’re glad we joined up.
  2. 1600 Penn. Again, adding new shows to our weekly lineup is something I’m reluctant to do. What if it’s not as good as our favorites? No worries here. This is one of our new favorites.
  3. Go On. Even though it tackles a serious subject–grief–each episode contains at least one element of ridiculousness that leaves me laughing.
  4. The Office. Especially two recent episodes about lice and an espresso machine. Last season, I was ready to give up on this comedy. It would seem they have saved the best for last.
  5. Parks and Recreation. Two words: Ron Swanson. That is all.

If not for Duck Dynasty on this list, we’d look like a one-network family. In truth, most of our comedy comes from NBC, but we do watch other networks.

What are your favorite shows for laughing?