In a new blog post on Thursday, January 28, Rory Feek once again tugged at his fans’ heartstrings, writing about his terminally ill wife, Joey Feek. Titling the post “The Power of the Plus-Sign,” Rory opened up about the pair’s past as a country music duo.
He revealed that in 2008 the couple tried out for the CMT reality music competition Can You Duet.
“When we found out we had made it through the first round of auditions, they asked us what our stage name was going to be,” Rory recalled. “I told Joey that I think we should tell them ‘Joey+Rory’, because that’s what it actually was … You + Me = whatever this is going to be.”
He went on to discuss what he considered the plus sign really meant to his relationship with his wife of 13 years.
“Without knowing it, what we were actually adding into the equation that day in 2008… was God,” he continued. “It was faith that we added – a willingness to trust Him and be OK with whatever He had in store. I think that’s where the power is. There’s nothing magical about Joey and I together. We bring our skills and talents into this union, but God brings the magic.”
And though his memories of their beginnings are sweet, the country singer admitted to being deeply saddened by the impending loss of his wife.
“I cannot even begin to imagine going home to Tennessee without Joey, or living my life and raising Indy without her… but chances are, that day is coming,” he wrote. “Joey and I both have questions. Lots of them. Hard questions that we don’t have any answers for. But still, we have faith – we choose to believe. I think that’s why they call it faith. If we knew all the answers, no faith would be required. And so Joey and I do our best each day to only see the plus’s in our life.”
In 2014, Joey was diagnosed with stage IV cervical cancer, and in November 2015, she entered hospice care. At the time she was told she wouldn’t make it past Thanksgiving. The couple shares daughter Indiana, 23 months.
