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May29, 2007 - Hearts and Humor - Memorial Day >> |
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Hello, Gang. For those of you celebrating Memorial Day weekend I pray you have a safe and happy one. Ginny and I are celebrating a special day today. You'll read all about it below, in a story I reworked and added to. Today is our third anniversary. What a wonderful three years its been. At the bottom is a link for you to see our very short wedding. This afternoon we had lunch at a place on the Jersey side of the Hudson River, with a view of the upper west side. They had a DJ playing soft music. I snuck away and asked him to say a message to Ginny. I asked him to say, "Ginny, thank you for three wonderful years of marriage. I promise you many more." I then asked him to play "What a Wonderful World" by Louie Armstrong. I held Ginny's hand, and to the thrill of those sitting near us, I sang my version along with Louie - I sing it well. If you enjoy a story, feel free to pass it on to your friends. I only ask that you leave the link at the bottom for them to join us. NOTE: IF YOU WISH TO STOP RECEIVING MY STORIES, PLEASE USE THE UNSUBSCRIBE LINK BELOW. PLEASE DO NOT MARK ME AS SPAM. MY STORIES ARE ONLY SENT TO THOSE WHO SUBSCRIBE TO MY EZINE. I'd Love your comments. Send them to: msmith4@nj.rr.com A good friend of mine has a new book out. You should check this out. Carol's been through rough times. She tells it all in her latest book. Carol Roach M.Ed, B.A. Publisher: Storytime Tapestry Author: Angels Watching Over Me:http://www.lulu.com/content/644485 Picking up the Pieces: A Woman's Journey: www.publishamerica.com If anyone is interested in greeting cards, Ginny belongs to a group of artists. They've teamed together to market their products. Check them out at: http://www.etsygreetings.blogspot.com Ginny's cards and other crafts are at: http://www.ginginsgoodies.etsy.com Be sure to check out my collection of inspirational sites at the end. There's something for everyone. Now for today's story Completely A man bumped my shoulder. "Sorry!" he called out and rushed on, pulling his suitcase behind him. "Would Mr. Hadwell please call the information desk?" A lady's voice blared from overhead speakers. I ignored it all. My eyes focused on the arrival board. Flight CO3065 was on the ground and approaching the gate. My heart pounded in my chest. My palms sweated. "She's finally here." I whispered and checked my reflection in a nearby window - a little overweight and balding. "Will she like what she sees? Will she accept me?" I felt silly. A few days before, she'd emailed me: How did this happen so fast? I don't know, and I can't answer that and don't want to. Why question it? It happened; I love it; and I love you. All I know is that I now have someone in my life who loves me for me, someone who makes me feel special, someone who makes feel like I count, someone who wants nothing but to make me happy. I feel I have found someone who will talk to me, share all things with me - good or bad, will allow me to be the person I am, and be what I want to be. Still not clear on what I want to be yet, but I do have a start. You are so special. I love you for being you. Babe, I don't care if you gained 20 pounds, 30, 40......I love YOU Michael.( Do you care if I call you that? I love the name) We all have our self doubts about ourselves. How we look. You say I'm beautiful, but you haven't seen it all. I have stretch marks. When I sit, I see the beginnings of a spare tire around my waist. (I keep it there in case I get a flat). I have lines on my face and around my eyes that I cover with lots of makeup. I could go on, but I won't. Hon, when you come to me on that morning, if you still want me, God Bless you. You will see me at my worst - accept when my hair is wet. I look like a drowned rat then. I pray you can see around all this and still see the person that I am. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I read the last words. She didn't understand. I emailed her back. "I love you for your heart and your humor. The marks we have are signs of life. We all have scars. Some are external and some our internal. They signify our journey and the ruts we bounced over. At my age, I know what I want in a mate. You are it. I want someone to love me, someone to make me laugh, and someone I can talk endlessly with. I want to hold a hand and take a walk. I want that hand to be yours." I looked at my reflection again. I had the same fears she did. It was silly of me. ********************* We met in a support group for young widows and widowers. The group had a chat room, where we gathered to support each other in our grief. Surprisingly, there was a lot of laugher. It was a chance for us to forget our loss, restore our sense of humor, and attempt to bring order into our lives again. One lady in the group made me laugh more than any other member. Her and I bantered back-and-forth, trying to outdo the other. My son thought I was strange. "Dad,what are you laughing at?" "My group!" "Dad, you need to get out and meet some friends." He walked up the stairs. "These are my friends!" I yelled at him. One night a member posted, "I had a bad day. The tears wouldn't stop flowing. I miss him so much!" My friend posted her phone number. "If you need to talk, call me." I stared at her number. Would she let me call her? I sent her a private message. "Is that your real number?" "Yes." "Can I call you sometime?" "Sure!" It was the beginning of a wonderful thing. We talked every free moment we had. Two months later, I stood at the arrival gate in the Newark airport. The woman I knew by heart and through pictures approached me. "Michael?" "Ginny?" We stepped into each others arms. I held her tight. "I finally get to hold you." I whispered in her ear. We collected her bags. In the car I leaned to her. "Ginny, I've dreamed of this moment for a long time." I pulled her in my arms, placed my lips on hers, and kissed her deeply. Her body melted into mine, as she returned my love. On the drive to my home, I held her hand. At every stop light, I kissed her. Ginny later wrote: He was nervous and I wasn't. No one could believe that I was flying from North Carolina to New Jersey to meet someone I met over the internet. I knew I wasn't flying to just "meet someone". I knew I was flying to my future. As I walked through the gate, I knew him immediately. During that first hug, I knew that I had come home. It felt so right. It still is. We counted the days we had actually been together before we got married. 30 days. That's it. There are a lot of people who can't believe we got married so soon and they just don't understand. I asked God to bring someone into my life. Someone to love me completely and I could love completely...no holds barred. My prayers were answered. My prayers were answered too. Four months later, on May 27, 2004, we drove to Jersey City with two friends, jumped on the subway, and walked a few blocks to City Hall. At the door, a guard informed us, "I'm sorry. We're closed for a terrorist drill. If you want, you can take the train to the City Hall in Brooklyn. The four of us took off. A terrorist drill would not alter our plans. We were on a mission. The train was crowded. The four of us clung to the handrails. People pushed against us. Everyone sweated in the heat. I put my arm around Ginny, as a voice rose above the clatter of the rails. It drifted through the car like the scent of a rose and filled our ears with a touch of heaven. At the next stop, the crowd thinned, and revealed an old, grey- haired, black man. His frail body and tattered clothes, contradicted his angelic voice. He stood in the rear corner and treated us with his songs. He didn't beg, like others who sang in the subway. He just sang for the joy of singing. He got off at the same stop we did and began to walk in the opposite direction of us. I stopped Ginny. "One second." I said. I rushed after the old man. "Sir!" He didn't hear me. I reached his side and touched his shoulder. "Sir?" I repeated. He turned and smiled at me. "Sir, thank you. Your singing was wonderful." I pressed five dollars into his hand. He gripped my hand firmly. "Thank you." He looked me in the eye. I saw love and compassion in those dark pools. "No, I thank you. My friend and I are going to be married in a few hours. Your singing was a sign from heaven. Through you, God gave us his blessing." "It was my pleasure." He looked at the money. "And thank you too." He smiled one more time, turned and walked away. A few minutes later, we were in the court house. A line of couples stretched in front of us. A great number of them looked like they were marrying on a whim. After a long wait, we reached the counter, were handed papers, told to fill them out, and wait to be called. Forty-five minutes later we heard our names called. They took our information and handed us more documents and sent us back to the end of the first line. We got to the end, where told they gave us the wrong paperwork and were directed back to the last line we were in. One lady passed in-and-out of the doors to the chapel many times. On our third attempt to get all the paperwork she walked up to us. "I've been watching you two. I can tell you are sincere. Don't worry. I'll see that you're married today." A few minutes later we were told to enter the chapel. The lady who said she'd see us married that day, turned out to be our minister. We stood in front of her, said our vows and were pronounced man and wife. Michael T. Smith If you want to view a short video of our wedding, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz3IZFoSb9I Ginny has a favorite song. She used the words on a card she gave me on our third anniversary. It's sung by Diamond Rio and is called, "Completely." You can read the words below. You can listen to a clip here from the song at this link: http://music.aol.com/artist/diamond-rio/1587/album/completely/595160 Scroll down to the song, "Completely." Here are the words: Completely, wanna give my love completely Id rather be alone than be in love just half the way I want to find someone that I can trust Completely, wanna give my heart completely To someone who'll completely give their heart to only me And when I find that one That's when I'll fall in love Chorus Completely Not half but whole With heart and soul Completely Not in between But everything Completely That's the way its gotta be The way I want someone to fall in love with me Forever wanna feel the word forever And know there'll be somebody there forever by my side And when that feeling comes That's when Ill give my love Repeat chorus It's all or nothing at all for this heart of mine And I wont give up this heart till the day I find Someone who needs me Repeat chorus The way I need someone to fall in love with me Inside the card she wrote: Michael Not only did I find someone who is COMPLETELY in love with me as I am with them, but someone who COMPLETES me. I love you with every inch of my being. Thank you for loving me. Always and Forever Ginny The card I gave her has a picture of a couple embracing on a park bench. The words are simple and tell exactly how I feel: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow… So many beautiful reasons to love you. Happy Anniversary If you enjoy a story, feel free to pass it on to your friends. My only request is that you include the link for your friends to join our family. To join our family, go to: http://subs. zinester.com/ 86758/ REMOVE THE SPACES TO GET TO THE SITE. SPAM BLOCKERS ARE HURTING EZINES. DON'T LET THEM PREVENT YOU FROM READING GREAT STORIES. As promised, here is a list of great inspirational sites. I subscribe to all of them. You will love these sites. Run by my friend Carol, Storytime Tapestry at: http://archives.zinester.com/98907/ Here's a new one that crosssed my path today: Linda Della Donna Freelance Writer www.littleredmailbox.com www.griefcase.blogspot.com www.storybone.blogspot.com "...and sometime when I wasn't looking, I got a new life." By my good friend Keith in Australia: http://www.agiftofinspiration.com.au/ My friend Phil runs http://www.peoplestuff.com.au/ Phil's awesome and brutally honest Zev, yes another friend, runs http://empoweringmessages.com/stories/ Heart Catchers is a wonderful site. www.DianeDeanWhite.com www.Heartwarmers.com and www.petwarmers.com are two wonderful story sites. http://hodu.com/ http://www.mydailyinsights.com/ www.ripplemaker.com http://www.sermonillustrator.org http://www.SkyWriting.Net Here's a newly discovered one I like: http://www.archive.zinester.com/9516 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WarmFuzzyStories/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WithInSight/ That's all I can think of right now. If I come up with more, I'll add them. Enjoy!!! I love your comments, Send them to msmith4@nj.rr.com. I'll include some in every post. Now for some comments from last weeks story: Hi Michael - I am a fair bit behind in my reading and so just finished this one - this moment - with tears streaming down my cheeks. Such a wonderful testament to both women. I too lost my mother - 12 years ago now - but think of her, and her love - daily. As always - Thank You for a lovely story. Vivian ******************** Michael, Just wanted to say thank you. I loved your story and the link. I'm so happy Carol helped me find this special place. Love, Peace and Joy, Pam ******************** |
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