Since 1965 Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers has been one of my favorite songs, and my youngest son, even in his teens, was aware of this. He was born in 1967.
At his wedding in 2000 he chose this song as the mother and son dance. As you can guess, I was very touched.
I just heard the song yesterday, after a long time, and it brought tears to my eyes as I recalled one of my most precious memories, dancing with my youngest son at his wedding to his thoughtful choice of my favorite song. I hope you have the luxury of recalling some precious memories today. Happy Saturday.
Recently a fellow blogger posted a beautiful poem asking the question “What is Love?”.
Today I am attending the wedding of two people who have found love once again in their lives; the bride is eighty years young and the groom ninety-one. In 2014 I wrote this poem, “What is Love?” Happy weekend.
I’ve heard people say, “God doesn’t love me…what a load of rubbish. If he loved me I’d feel it, wouldn’t I?” The answer is, “Yes, you would, and yes, you do.” I invite you to ponder these few thoughts in your life.
What do you feel when you first lay eyes on your newborn baby?
What do you feel as that baby grows into a little personality and your heart feels like it will burst with each new thing she/he does?
Or if children aren’t in your life…what is it you feel towards your brand new puppy or kitten?
What do you feel on your wedding day when you look into the eyes of your bride/groom and say, “I do”.
What is it you feel when you get your first diploma, your first degree, your first job?
Do you love looking in awe at the star-studded, galaxy-filled universe?
I would love to post a photo of one of my grandsons who just got his braces off. The smile on his face is priceless. But my love goes deeper than showing him off, because I know that it would embarrass him and I respect his feelings.
What I’m getting at here is that when you experience all these feelings of love, awe, respect…you are experiencing God’s love for you…a hundredfold. God is where love originated; the only way to explain that unexplainable feeling.
…And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ…Ephesians 3:17-18
Here is the Bee Gees 1977 hit, “How Deep is Your Love”. May I suggest that instead of seeing Barry, Robin and Maurice singing, you picture God asking you…how deep is your love?
I just have to write about these recent love stories I have either heard about or experienced first hand; not first hand for me but for someone close to me. This would cover the two recent weddings I wrote about, Barefoot Over the Bridge and The Unexpected Gift. These weddings involved young people in their twenties, two of my granddaughters, in fact. Both were beach weddings; one bride walked barefoot over a bridge and the other stood with her groom on a huge rock in the sea when the tide was out.
However, there is another wedding that I heard about. This is a couple who have been dating for a couple of years, fell in love and got married also just recently. You’re groaning, right? Who needs to hear about another wedding, right? Well this couple happens to be in their twilight years…she’s eighty and he’s eight-four. The bride made her own dress and looked just delightful (I saw a photo). Her groom was in more casual attire as it was a back-yard wedding. There was no mistaking the look of love on his face as he gazed at his beloved during the photo shoot.
And then I heard of a couple who have been married for sixty-four years, he’s in his nineties and she in her eighties. Every night without fail, hubby leans over and kisses his wife goodnight. “He’s been doing this since we got married,” she told me.
And then there are the couples who choose not to marry but have a deep love for each other. They live together in exactly the same way that they would have had they crossed over a bridge, stood on a rock, or taken vows in a back yard garden…or wherever.
Love and commitment are very evident in the lives of all these people, young or old, large weddings or small, and whether they decided to tie the knot or not.
Have you ever received more than you expected? A week ago on Saturday I welcomed a sixth grandson-in-law into my growing family. Before the day was over, however, I was overwhelmed with the gift of another grandson-in-law…totally unexpected.
Amberley and Chris had married on the previous Tuesday in the Channel Islands…Jersey, to be exact. It was a small and private wedding, which, they tell me will be followed by many celebrations in various parts of the world where they have so many more friends and family.
Both sets of parents, along with siblings and a few friends attended this very special occasion. I do wish I could have been there.
Love knows no bounds when it comes to people meeting people. Chris is from Scotland, Amberley is from Jersey; one works in Houston, Texas, the other just moved from Dubai, and they met in Whistler, B.C. I hear it was love at first sight, and I don’t doubt it because it was the same for me when I first met this new family member.
If you can be hung over from an overdose of love, then I have the biggest hangover in history. But I’m not complaining; in fact I’m enjoying the after-buzz very much.
So, I guess the moral of this story is that you never know what’s waiting for you in each future moment.
Many congratulations and blessings Amberley and Chris and thank you so much for my unexpected gift.
Walking down the aisle is no longer the only road to matrimony, it seems. On Saturday I watched my granddaughter, Courtney, walk barefoot over a wooden bridge, in her princess wedding gown, accompanied by her proud dad, to stand by Matt, the man she intends to spend the rest of her life with. The lake water lapped and glistened as if in symphony with the nature of this outdoor wedding.
Everything else was traditional in a sense. The wedding party, beautiful in their pastel gowns and gray suits, waited for the bride to take her place beside her groom and the service began.
It was both solemn and sweet as this special couple took their vows having eyes for only each other. I’m not sure whether the vows they repeated were written by themselves or the minister who performed the ceremony, but I do know that Saint Paul wrote the following words of love in 1 Corinthians 13:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.8 Love never fails… 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
These words have been repeated at many wedding ceremonies over the centuries and my heart filled with love for the young couple hearing them now, probably for the very first time. I hope their love will remain as alive as it was on Saturday when Matthew watched his bride walking toward him,..barefoot over the bridge.
No, this is not about The Lord’s Prayer. It is about a love song which I first heard at the wedding of one of my God-daughters in 1987. Here are the words, sung by Randy Travis, that have played in my mind over the years since that time. I’m posting it for all the loving Valentine people who are still celebrating their love whether for one year or sixty. Happy Valentines Day.
Forever and Ever, Amen
You may think that I’m talkin’ foolish
You’ve heard that I’m wild and I’m free
You may wonder how, I can promise you now
This love that I feel for you always will be
But you’re not just time that I’m killin’
I’m no longer one of those guys
As sure as I live, this love that I give
Is gonna be yours until the day that I die
Oh, baby! I’m gonna love you forever, forever and ever, Amen!
As long as old men sit n’ talk about the weather
As long as old women sit n’ talk about old men
If you wonder how long I’ll be faithful
I’ll be happy to tell you again
I’m gonna love you forever and ever, forever and ever, Amen!
They say that time takes it’s toll on a body
Makes a young girl’s brown hair turn gray
But, honey, I don’t care, I ain’t in love with your hair
And if it all fell out, well, I’d love you anyway
They say time can play tricks on a memory
Make people forget things they knew
Well, it’s easy to see, it’s happenin’ to me
I’ve already forgotten every woman but you
Oh, darlin’! I’m gonna love you forever, forever and ever, Amen!
As long as old men sit n’ talk about the weather
As long as old women sit n’ talk about old men
If you wonder how long I’ll be faithful
Well, just listen to how this song ends
I’m gonna love you forever and ever, forever and ever, Amen!
I’m gonna love you forever and ever, forever and ever
Forever and ever, forever and ever, Amen!
Twenty-nine years later my God-daughter and her husband are still living their wedding song.
This month I had the privelege of observing the celebration of life in two entirely different ways.
Both were the ending of old lives and the beginning of new.
One was a wake, and the other, a wedding.
The first was a memorial for a dear friend who exchanged life on earth for life everafter in the heavenly realm, leaving behind her role as daughter, sister, mother, wife; a life that death did part.
I witnessed the second celebration from a distance, but the reality was the same. This time the life left behind was that of singleness, in exchange for the role of wife, helpmate, lover, friend; a new life of sharing til death do part.
Both events were not only celebrations of life but continuations of life. One life had been fully lived, and the other will now be lived more fully.
It was my privelege to observe both the wake and the wedding of two beautiful ladies, exchanging old lives for new, and for each, the journey continues.
My Precious Life 