Love Song

I remember when I was a little girl, I dreamt of the day that my prince charming would show up in my life and sweep me away from my village and into his own castle. Over time, I realized how sad I would be if I had to leave the kingdom I had come to love. Thus, God gave me the amazing gift of hometown love. Twenty-two years of living within miles of one another, my prince finally took the right turn.

Have you ever watched one of the "knock-off" fairytale movies? You know, the $5 Walmart Cinderella instead of the Disney version? Well, that's what I feel like love has been in the past to me. You still go through the same events...feel the same warm-fuzzies...watch the happily ever after (and even believe it)...BUT there is something about experiencing "the real deal". Don't get me wrong, there have been plenty of times in my past that I felt that spark of love in a relationship. However, when Joshua Tyler Bailey walked out of the cold and into my life in January of 2009, something magical happened. The lackluster love I felt in years prior transformed before my eyes. For once in my life, I had something...someone...worth risking everything for.

November 4, 2010 our love song was written. With the brisk, Autumn air of Oklahoma welcoming us into the sunlight, we walked hand-in-hand through the streets of Route 66. A path we had driven numerous times before soon became the setting for our very own love song.

Young love blossomed as the day grew colder. A girl embraced by the arms of her forever love overlooked the beautiful water as they stood together on the old bridge. Not wanting to leave one another, they pulled over to the side of the road where the gravel met the grass. An old piano...symbolic of the songs played before, rested in the midst of the field. The two walked together as they listened to the sounds of the city disappear. As the sun set in the west, the two faced one another. The wind sweeping through the tall trees around them, preluded to the song of the keys. Abandoned and left to rot, something beautiful came from that old piano that day. And once again, it played a song as it did for decades before. This time silent to those around them, yet the young couple heard the sound loud and pure. It was the sound of love written just for them. And in the quiet of the field, they knew they were meant to be forever.