Every Breath We Take

The LORD God said: “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.” So the LORD God formed out of the ground various wild animals and various birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each of them would be its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, all the birds of the air, and all the wild animals; but none proved to be the suitable partner for the  man.

So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The LORD God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man. When he brought her to the man, the man said: “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of ‘her man’ this one has been taken.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no shame. (Genesis 2:18-25)

Absolutely!  “It is not good for the man [or woman] to be alone.”  Loneliness is the weight that wears down the spouse of a loved one who has died.  Many men and women have had long married lives together.  The bond between them is strong and is medicine for what afflicts them in old age.  But, when the bone of their bones and flesh of their flesh is gone, the following years can make the survivor a mere skeleton minus its flesh and, in the case of the husband, minus that rib.

“The LORD God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man.”  I think of the rib as evidence that the woman is that which allows her husband to breathe and come alive.  The rib is one of many that protects the chest cavity in which we men find our hearts and lungs.  That is what the woman encompasses – the man’s organs that give him life, making his blood flow and his body breathe.

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching.  Men, remind your love one that she is your rib.  Let’s remember that when we break a rib, it’s hard to breathe.  With that understood, after giving her a gift, sing (or hum) the following tune by The Police (my revisions):  

Every breath I take

Every move I make

Every step I take

I'll be watching for you

Every single day

Every word you said

Every night you’re away

I'll be watching for you

Oh, can't you see

You belonged to me

How my poor heart aches

for every step you did take

Every move you made

Every vow we took

Every smile you gave

Every claim for me you staked

I'll be watching for you

Since you've gone, I've been lost without a trace

I dream at night I can only see your face

I look around but it's you I can't replace

I feel so cold and I long for your embrace

I keep crying baby, baby please

Oh, I know you knew 

You belonged to me

How my poor heart aches

Remembering every step you took.

Deacon David Pierce