Such Great Heights (And A Challenge)

Lately, I have felt pretty blocked. Writing is something I love. Something I NEED to do. But, for whatever reasons, my brain won't let me. Everything I write has been a strain to get out. I need to change this.

I have decided to take a cue from my always-wiser-than-me hubby and do a post a day. They don't have to be deeply personal essays. This is my blog, after all, not a literary journal. Time to lighten things up and make some fun happen. Hopefully.

A quick Google search brought me to a couple writing prompts calendars. I found them on the Sits Girls website. I think they will be extremely helpful.

So, here we go, post 1/31, the first post of the rest of my life. Or something.

Today's prompt is: What song played during your first dance as husband and wife? Why did you choose that song?

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"I am thinking it's a sign
That the freckles in our eyes
Are mirror images and when we kiss
They're perfectly aligned"

From the first moment I heard the song, I knew we had to play it at our wedding.  It could have been written for us.

"And I have to speculate
That God himself did make us
Into corresponding shapes
Like puzzle pieces from the clay"

We listened to it not stop. Originally by The Postal Service, Iron and Wine did an amazing cover of Such Great Heights. It was slow and heartfelt and just beautiful.

"And true it may seem like a stretch
But it's thoughts like this that catch
My troubled head when you're away
When I am missing you to death"

In the midst of our planning I had the best idea. We would ask our dear friend to sing the song while we had our first dance. I asked, he said yes, he would be honored. I don't know if he knows entirely how the honor was, and still is, all mine.

"When you are out there on the road
For several weeks of shows
And when you scan the radio
I hope this song will guide you home"

At our reception I watched as our friend came out, onto the stage.  He sat, alone with his guitar. His boyfriend (now his husband) stood behind the curtain, giving him moral support. I wish I could remember his exact words. I do remember the feeling though. The emotion. Love. The biggest love I ever felt. My friend, dedicating this beautiful song to me and my new husband. To our love and our future. The love I could feel coming from the man I had just vowed to love for all of eternity and beyond. The love of a room full of friends and family. There to witness the very beginning of what would be an incredible love story.

"They will see us waving from such great heights
Come down now, they'll say
But everything looks perfect from far away
Come down now but we'll stay"

7 1/2 years after that evening and we still haven't come down yet. We will never come down. Up here, we can see it all, the highs, the lows, the beauty in all that lies in between.

"I've tried my best to leave
This all on your machine
But the persistent beat
It sounded thin upon listening"

Sometimes, Pandora will play this song. I will stop and smile. I will remember the incredible voice of my friend that I do not hear frequently enough these days. I will remember the feeling I had when my husband took me in his arms and danced with me for the very first time, as his wife.

"And that frankly will not fly
You'll hear the shrillest highs
And lowest lows with the windows down
When this is guiding you home"

My husband is due home tomorrow, after being gone on business for a week. I miss him. But I know that what we have, distance can not effect. What we have, is amazing. It is magic.

"They will see us waving from such great heights
Come down now, they'll say
But everything looks perfect from far away
Come down now but we'll stay"