I know the day was all about my sweet friend Sarah getting married. But as I listened to the breeze whistling softly in the trees, I could not help but feel God's presence with me, for me. It was most certainly God saying hi. Though there were brief moments of sadness, bittersweet flashbacks to my own wedding day, I was so grateful to be there with my big girl pants (well, dress!) on.
My good friends Susanne and Lindsay stayed close by my side; what great company. As the bride and groom began their first dance, I turned to them and whispered...my Tony, he was an amazing dancer.
Amazing...simply the best.
He was so good that I often had to share him with my friends! I graciously agreed, only asking that he always save the last dance for me.
The last dance.
I came home from Sarah's wedding with the tune of Michael Buble's version of "Save the Last Dance for Me" in my head. It was one of Tony's favorites. How true those words are to our very own love story.
A few months ago as I was going through some old files and receipts of his, I found the very receipts from his first ballroom dancing classes that he took in May of 1998. I just had to keep them; they hold so much meaning now.
They signify one of the earliest investments Tony made in our marriage, long before I was even in the picture.
One of Tony's goals in his early 20s was to become a great ballroom dancer (as noted in his life goals I found from back then). He set out to accomplish this with countless hours of classes, practice sessions in his living room with his friends, and who knows how many dance partners. He often encouraged me to dance with other people in order to become a better dancer too. I reasoned that I already had the best partner, I did not want to dance with anyone else.
Our dancing days started fairly early in our dating. Though I grew up dancing, I had never learned how to dance with a partner. It took me a while to learn to let him lead. But, I found the more in love I fell with him, the more I loosened up...and finally I got to the point of letting go and completely following his lead, even trusting him to dip me as far back as I could go.
We loved to dance together. It was as if all the cares of the world no longer held any weight as he effortlessly twirled me around the dance floor...often in our living room. It was magical. It was breathe-taking. It was one of the last moments we shared together just days before he left this earth.
Dance lessons: $670
Saving the last dance for me: Priceless
Dearly loved, dancer,
Melissa
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