{"id":5504,"date":"2023-11-16T06:39:06","date_gmt":"2023-11-16T14:39:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/?p=5504"},"modified":"2023-11-16T06:39:07","modified_gmt":"2023-11-16T14:39:07","slug":"the-minutes-before-forever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/2023\/11\/16\/the-minutes-before-forever\/","title":{"rendered":"The Minutes Before Forever"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"759\" src=\"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-83-1024x759.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5514\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-83-1024x759.png 1024w, https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-83-300x222.png 300w, https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-83-768x569.png 768w, https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-83-1536x1139.png 1536w, https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-83-2048x1518.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">When I opened the door to the little playhouse in which I would hide, there was something for which I wasn’t prepared. THE MUSIC. Our Pre-wedding playlist was playing through a little speaker as well as inside the church. All of a sudden, the songs we’d chosen as soothing “Pre-Wedding” tunes were playing one last time. The thing was, they weren’t so soothing at that moment. This would be one of the last times I’d listen to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Tears welling up, so many thoughts raced through my head. 1988 and the last time I’d been a bride. Four long, hot summers traveling on my journey as a widow. 2023 and the very last time I’d EVER be a bride again. So many memories, hopes, and dreams all tied into those six little songs that would play for 20 minutes 45 seconds before the “Down the Aisle” song would play. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"238\" height=\"350\" src=\"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-77.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5508\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-77.png 238w, https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-77-204x300.png 204w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 238px) 100vw, 238px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Squinting to look out of a lace-covered window, I could see key people in my life as they arrived. There were so many people, I doubted that those inside would even pay attention to the music, which made me a little sad. Each song held special memories. Left up to him, HHH may have chosen a differently, but he agreed to the final selections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">All alone in this little house, there were minutes to calm myself as a few stray visitors who were in the know came to offer support. Of course, CC was nervous as a cat running back and forth to check with Da Girl who had come from so far away to help me with my hair and calm my nerves. My two life-sisters, chosen from the minute we said “Hello”, came to support and love me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">You’re probably curious about the music. You might even want to listen to some of the songs yourself. Here are the songs that made the cut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">The Thorn Birds — Henry Mancini\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\"> If you are a woman of the 80’s, you probably remember a “mini-series” on television. Many of my friends need only to hear the title “The Thorn Birds” and drift away to a sheep ranch in Drogheda, Australia. The theme song is one of my favorite musical selections, regardless of the fact the movie, in today’s politically correct world, seems a little creepy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"289\" height=\"220\" src=\"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-84.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5515\" style=\"width:360px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">Better Together –Luke Combs — Well, I had to put one GUY song for HHH<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"293\" height=\"220\" src=\"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-76.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5506\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">A 40 HP Johnson<br>On a flat bottom metal boat<br>Coke cans and BB guns<br>Barbed wire and old fence posts<br>8-point bucks in autumn<br>And freshly cut corn fields<br>One arm out the window<br>And one hand on the wheel<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Your license in my wallet<br>When we go out downtown<br>Your lipstick stained every coffee cup<br>That I got in this house<br>The way you say I love you, too<br>Is like rain on an old tin roof<br>And your hand fits right into mine<br>Like a needle in a groove<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Would just sound better together<br>And probably always will<br>Like a cup of coffee and a sunrise<br>Sunday drives and time to kill<br>What’s the point of this old guitar<br>If it ain’t got no strings<br>Or pouring your heart into a song<br>That you ain’t gonna sing<br>It’s a match made up in heaven<br>Like good ole boys and beer<br>And me, as long as you’re right here<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"330\" height=\"220\" src=\"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-79.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5510\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-79.png 330w, https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-79-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 330px) 100vw, 330px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">3. Can You Feel the Love Tonight — Elton John<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">There’s a calm surrender to the rush of day<br>When the heat of a rolling wind can be turned away<br>An enchanted moment, and it sees me through<br>It’s enough for this restless warrior just to be with you<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">There’s a time for everyone if they only learn<br>That the twisting kaleidoscope moves us all in turn<br>There’s a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors<br>When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Can you feel the love tonight?<br>It is where we are<br>It’s enough for this wide-eyed wanderer<br>That we’ve got this far<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Can you feel the love tonight?<br>How it’s laid to rest?<br>Oh, it’s enough to make kings and vagabonds<br>Believe the very best<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"220\" height=\"220\" src=\"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-80.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5511\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-80.png 220w, https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-80-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-80-100x100.png 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 220px) 100vw, 220px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">5. You are the Sunshine of my life — Stevie Wonder<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>“You Are The Sunshine Of My Life”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">I feel like this is the beginning,<br>Though I’ve loved you for a million years,<br>And if I thought our love was ending,<br>I’d find myself drowning in my own tears<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">You must have known that I was lonely,<br>Because you came to my rescue,<br>And I know that this must be heaven,<br>How could so much love be inside of you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">You are the sunshine of my life, yeah,<br>That’s why I’ll always stay around,<br>You are the apple of my eye,<br>Forever you’ll stay in my heart<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"293\" height=\"220\" src=\"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-81.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5512\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">6. Chapel of Love — The old version, which is the ONLY version<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Fall is here, the sky is blue, whoa<br>Birds all sing as if they knew<br>Today’s the day we’ll say “I do”<br>And we’ll never be lonely anymore<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Bells will ring, the sun will shine, whoa<br>I’ll be his and he’ll be mine<br>We’ll love until the end of time<br>And we’ll never be lonely anymore<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Because we’re goin’ to the chapel<br>And we’re gonna get married<br>Goin’ to the chapel<br>And we’re gonna get married<br>Gee, I really love you<br>And we’re gonna get married<br>Goin’ to the chapel of love<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"636\" src=\"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-82.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5513\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-82.png 960w, https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-82-300x199.png 300w, https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-82-768x509.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">7. A Thousand Years–Christina Perry<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Heart beats fast<br>Colors and promises<br>How to be brave?<br>How can I love when I’m afraid to fall?<br>But watching you stand alone<br>All of my doubts<br>Suddenly go away somehow<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Time stands still<br>Beauty in all she is<br>I will be brave<br>I will not let anything take away<br>What’s standing in front of me<br>Every breath<br>Every hour has come to this<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">I have died every day waiting for you<br>Darling, don’t be afraid<br>I have loved you for a thousand years<br>I’ll love you for a thousand more<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">And all along I believed I would find you<br>Time has brought your heart to me<br>I have loved you for a thousand years<br>I’ll love you for a thousand more<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">While I stayed hidden in the little playhouse, CC helped seat guests while The Mayor helped calm HHH and his nerves. Finally, everyone took their seats, while waiting for me. All the while, I fought back tears listening to beautiful music in the little playhouse, alone with my thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">It would be moments now. Just moments until CC burst through the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">“It’s time!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">More tomorrow.<\/p>\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When I opened the door to the little playhouse in which I would hide, there was something for which I wasn’t prepared. THE MUSIC. Our Pre-wedding playlist was playing through a little speaker as well as inside the church. All of a sudden, the songs we’d chosen as soothing “Pre-Wedding” tunes were playing one last … <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/2023\/11\/16\/the-minutes-before-forever\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> “The Minutes Before Forever”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5504"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5504\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5516,"href":"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5504\/revisions\/5516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grievinggardener.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}