6 Gulf Pine Catholic • May 8, 2026 “Nothing ever grows where the sun always shines.” Legendary country music singer/songwriter Bill Anderson wrote that lyric because it reflects the truth that it takes both sunny days and rainy ones, successes and failures, to truly grow and become the person God created you to be. The seeds of faith were planted in Bill’s life partially by his grandfather, a Methodist preacher. But Bill’s mother was his primary influence. During a “Christopher Closeup” interview, he recalled her singing hymns such as “Amazing Grace” while doing housework: “Those songs of the church were, without me realizing it, forming a foundation for me musically.” Another major moment for Bill came after he had achieved some success in Nashville. His 88-year-old pastor-grandfather, who lay on his deathbed, told Bill, “I don’t know much about the business you’re in, but I know that you’re in a position to reach more people with one song than I’ve reached with every sermon I’ve ever preached.” From then on, Bill felt that weight of responsibility to create music that would reflect his values. Of course, in the genre of country music, you have to also cover songs about drinking and infidelity. But, as Bill joked, “The good part is that if you play the songs backwards, they sober up and they come home.” More seriously, Bill then discussed his song “Five Little Fingers”, which was the story of a man who had lost his wife and had a small child. He wondered how he was gonna continue to go on with his life. The little girl walks in and puts her five little fingers on top of his hand and inspires him. I had a fan write me from down in Louisiana and he said, ‘I was in my car. I was driving out into the swamps. I was going to commit suicide. I thought everything I had in the world was lost. Your song came on about the Five Little Fingers…and I realized I had five little fingers in my house that depended on me. I pulled over to the side of the road…I cried. I prayed. I turned around and I went back to town.’” “That’s not the only letter I’ve had like that,” Bill explained. “It makes me [think of] what my grandfather said…I guess that song, at that point in time, maybe that was my sermon.” When asked to reflect on the Christopher idea of lighting a candle in times of darkness, Bill recalled, “The darkest it ever got around me was in 1984 when my wife was nearly killed in a head-on automobile accident caused by a drunk driver. At the time, our son was six years old. I had to become mother and father to [him] for a long period of time as my wife went through…rehabilitation…It changed my perspective. It changed my value system.” “My son and our relationship became my candle in the darkness,” Bill continued. “He was in a Christian school, and he understood at his young age that there was faith and that hopefully his mom was gonna get well, which she ultimately did. I wouldn’t want to walk through that dark spot again, but the light of that candle has served me well in the time since then. I hope in some small way that I can carry a candle for other people. They tell me sometimes, ‘We love your music. Your music makes us feel better.’ If that’s my candle, then I’m more than glad to carry it.” Tony Rossi is the radio host/producer for The Christophers. For a free copy of the Christopher News Note, GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP, write: The Christophers, 5 Hanover Square, New York, NY 10004; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org. Light One Candle Rossi Life needs sunny and rainy days I had just finished Evening Mass in the parish I was substituting in on a Saturday evening. I was getting ready to head back home on the fifty miles journey. Then a middle aged woman came into the sacristy and asked, “Would you mind coming to give the Anointing of the Sick to my mother? She is near death.” “Ok” I said, “where does she live?” “Oh, just a few miles from here. We live in Cloughbrack which is just a few miles out in the country from here,” she volunteered. Usually, when I hear things like “a few miles,” I take it with a bit of latitude. “Just follow me and I will direct you there,” she continued. Now, following someone in the darkness though unfamiliar territory and mountainous terrain can be a daunting experience, especially following someone who is familiar with roads, hills, twists and turns, and can negotiate them with ease any time of day or night. But to a complete stranger who didn’t have time to plug in any directions into a Sat Nav, or consult a Google or Apple map for directions, I was left to the mercy of following the light of an SUV. Wondering how am I going to keep up with this driver not knowing what hill we might be climbing and what may be around the next bend. I just had to keep focusing and keep up with the lights of the vehicle in front. Sometime later, after seemingly having traveled more than a few miles, we turned off onto a very minor road that would test shocks and tires. Eventually, I saw the indicator of the car in front warn me that we were about to turn left into some property. We arrived finally. Following a brief visit, I was ushered into the woman’s bedroom to perform the Anointing of the Sick. Following the anointing, I was treated to a cup of tea and a slice of freshly baked apple pie. It sure calmed my nerves. Soon, it was time to head back -- this time to home but how was I going to negotiate my way back without getting lost among the hills, the twists and turns, and the sparsely populated homes. Seeing my quandary, the woman who guided me there volunteered to go before me and get me back on the road to home again. As we negotiated the rough terrain of the very minor road to the supposed main road, she stopped her car in front, approached my window and said, “You will have no trouble from here, Just continue straight on and you will get there.” “But,” I said, “this doesn’t seem to be the same road we came here on.” “Don’t worry, just continue straight on and it will bring you into Clonbur eventually and from there, you will have no problem finding your way.” The whole experience, while nerve-wrecking, taught me a valuable lesson about trust. Even at the darkest times, we have no choice but to trust, trust someone we are willing to put our life’s direction in their hands, whether that be a trusted friend or soulmate, a medical professional or someone we know as having our best interest at heart when giving us advice. We may want to second guess them or the assurance they give us. We may have a healthy dose of skepticism about their directions or even intentions. Sometimes, even with the best Sat Nav’s, Google or Apple maps, we may question or even doubt their truthfulness, directions or guidance. Other times, we might be aware of a better way to negotiate the journey and so deviate from the planned route. Then the expert directions remind us to take the next exit or road and if we don’t we are soon reminded to make a U-turn as soon as convenient. If we do not comply with the request, our eye in the sky tries to reconfigure where we are and rescue us. Often in life, we think we have a better idea of where and how we should be traveling but Someone greater than us redirects us back to the path less chosen but, in the end, the best one for us to travel. Father Michael Tracey is retired and lives in Ireland. He can be contacted by email at mtracey1@ bellsouth.net. His website is www.michaeltracey.net Finding my way Across the Pond Father Tracey
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