Remember Who (2023)

Remember who’s in love with you        E C#m F#m B B+5
No matter where you are                        E  E7  A  A#dim
Remember who’s in love with you.       E  F#7  B7
If I’m blue, or ninety-two, or                     E  G#7
Swinging on a star,                                    C#m  Bm  A  A#dim
Remember who’s in love with you!       C#sus4  C#7  F#7 B7  E —

Feels so sweet, when we meet
To take your hand in mine
Remember who’s in love with you
You’re number one, I’m all undone
So if you’ve got the time
Remember who’s in love with you!

BRIDGE:
Everything is always changing         Bm  E7
No blaming, no complaining             A  Am
How can I explain to you?           G#m  G#dim   F#m F#dim
How love is never ending,                 E   Bm7  E7
No, really not pretending                   A  Am
It’s all in your point of view          G#m  G#dim F#m F#dim

This task is all I ask,
If I am near or far,
Remember who’s in love with you.
If I’m blue, or ninety-two, 
Or swinging on a star,
Remember who’s in love, Remember who’s in love
Remember who’s in love with you

      ©Doug Hendren

It’s good advice. While this website is dedicated mainly to climate education and activism, the reminder from a dear, departed friend to “remember who loves you” belongs here as well. People working for a livable future, whether on climate, energy, social justice or other issues, are all in a marathon, everyday facing long odds and stiff opposition. It’s not just a good idea to stop and smell the roses and appreciate one another along the way – it’s essential to survival. Otherwise, burnout is all too common.

Mary Pipher makes the case beautifully in her wonderful little book, The Green Boat: Reviving Ourselves in our Capsized Culture (2013). One of the first to identify the “mid-traumatic stress” experience of so many people as they try to grasp the gravity of a global climate being altered by human activity, Pipher was also a founding member of Bold Nebraska, which mobilized citizen resistance to TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline. As she writes in The Green Boat, working together is psychologically healthy and protective against the climate anxiety or eco-grief that is now being widely reported, particularly among young people.

“Not all of us can do great things,” said Mother Teresa, “but we can do small things with great love.” If we want to keep moving forward, we need to celebrate small victories, support one another in small things, and set a pace we can sustain. Stop and smell the roses. Remember who loves you!