Transparent Christian Magazine

My son is getting married in less than a month. He and his fiancée have rented a quaint house built in the early seventies and are in the process of decorating and making it “their own”. They decided to make the once formal living room their “vintage” room. They painted it a golden yellow and furnished it with a tenderly used couch from the sixties or seventies. In addition, along one wall stands a stereo console from the sixties. The golden walls illuminate its mahogany wood.

My son wanted it so that he could listen to music on vinyl. He finds something relaxing and inviting about its sound, making it perfect for entertaining. His fiancée, J.C., cleaned it up and bought some contemporary albums such as Coldplay, for his birthday.

The retro motif fits perfectly with the décor.

But the wood paneled music player catches my interest for a different reason. I go back to a time when I was a child and old hits from the past filled the house while my mother cleaned. She would sing along to Charlie Pride, Hank Williams and other country artists from her time. I remember being drawn to my “own” music as a young teenager listening to pop and rock songs of the early seventies. It was a sweeter simpler time that then seemed to crawl by, but somehow quickly slipped away.

On the top of the console, alongside the contemporary albums, lay some gems of the seventies and eighties, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Eagles, Michael Jackson and even the Beatles. These belonged to J.C.’s dad, and were a gift to my son from her mother.

My mom often wanted to dispose of this old console but thought that no one would want it. Both my mom and J.C.’s dad have been gone for a number of years. But their memories live on through two inanimate objects representing much more: two families, two young hearts just beginning their lives together, and two unique families coming together as one.

Lisa McIntosh