A lot of people don’t like you. They think you’re annoying, too modern, or too slow. You’re one of the most bashed genres of music in today’s world. But to me, country music, you are quite the opposite. The same waves of sound that you sent through my car speakers have touched tears in the hardest times. In those times those words said everything I couldn’t. You helped me make sense of heartbreak, moving homes, and losing loved ones. Everything I couldn’t say, you did. You shed light on the darkest areas. The artists are authentic and transparent. They’re not afraid to relate and be vulnerable with the ones who support them. Country music, you create a family. Aside from Jesus, nothing sends more of a chill to the bone than the echo of voices from hurting people singing “You Should Be Here” alongside of one another. In these moments, we are all broken together. You, country music, glue us together as a family.

You are not only there when things are tough. During the highs of life-the happiness, the graduations, the weddings, the miracles- you have been there. There is a certain light you shed that portrays so clearly the shortness of life and the need to enjoy the moments we are given. You don’t fear to shout the name of Jesus in a world that does. You know you are not successful because of your own handiwork, but the handiwork of Jesus. You show humility, humbleness, and praise.

Some people think that you have to be from a small town or own a farm to love you, but country music, you’ve never said that. You tell about living simply, working hard, pride for our nation, loving Jesus, and loving each other. No inherited farmland or cowboy boots are required to sing of those things. Thank you, country music, for showing me truth in that. Country is in your heart, and doesn’t have to be at your feet. Thank you for always being real, for always being you, and for keeping it country.