From your lips to God's ears.
I have two songs; one of Richie's and one from Bon Jovi.

When I was working on my Counseling degree, I began to question some things about my faith. Before long, I doubted almost everything I'd considered to be pure fact for 45 years. I stopped going to church; and while I missed the community, what I missed most was the music. None of it rang true anymore. As I listened to "The Answer" I came to realize it's okay to question, since man's answers are beliefs at best. It gave new meaning to a favorite Christian lyric, "Could it be that questions tell us more than answers ever do?" and opened the door to using my questions to find my own path back to a relationship with God. I could sing some of the songs again that I'd been (literally) unable to sing for years as I realized that doubting some things didn't mean everything had been a lie.

The Bon Jovi song that has helped me over my very roughest patch is "Story of My Life". When my dad was dying and I'd have tough days, my older brother, Steve, would ask if I was doing okay; and then he'd hug me and say, "You're not; but you will be?" To my knowledge, Steve had never heard SOML, so years later, when I heard Jon sing "I know you know I'm not alright, but I'll be okay", it made me smile.

In 2014, Steve was diagnosed with cancer; and he often went through the same routine when it was hard for me to cope with knowing I was gonna lose him way too soon - just a few months later as it turned out. Today when I listen to SOML, it may not be as easy to smile at Jon's words, but I can still feel Steve's hugs, and hear the smile in his voice, when he'd say, "You're not, but you will be?"

Writing this has made me realize there's even a connection between the two songs. While it makes me incredibly sad that Steve won't be "by my side when I'm writing the last page", Richie sings of a "guide...that helps you pass from world to world". Since Steve has always been the wind beneath my wings, it wouldn't surprise me at all if he's my Guide when the time comes.