sTanD STill

II would like to pause the further broadcasting of this cruise to bring you a recent, cute story that is just too fun to pass up.  (Plus the day by day cruise report has been excruciatingly grueling). 

 

Last night, D was at the computer, uploading songs to his iPod. 

It was midnight.

I went over and started bugg- flirting with him to get some attention.  Things like sticking my tongue in his ear.

He got a little frustrated with me because he ‘needed to get this done’

So I feigned hurt and stomped up the stairs, rushed to get ready for bed, jumped in and turned off the light just as he came up. 

He teased me for a minute but I kept claiming to be asleep.  He got ready and slipped under the covers. 

As he came closely, he shoved his iPod earbud into my ear before I could protest.

I recognized our song immediately, and it took me right back.

It was the song that was on when we knew . . .

 

It was September 2003, and I was headed down to Provo with D’s friend, Justin to visit D at the old BY of U. 

Justin and I talked during the long drive, made longer by traffic.  When the subject of D and I came up, Justin was a little bitter that I had honed in on his buddy. 

That was apparent. 

And imagine his shock when I admitted that after 1 month of dating, we talked of marriage.

I mean, of course we’d talked of it.  I don’t think I dated anyone in college without that subject inevitably coming up. 

However, our future was still very unknown, due to several complicated factors:

1. My missionary was due to come home in three months.  Three months, people!  That meant I had made it one year and 9 months without getting married in case you can’t do the math!
2.   I was also on scholarship at ISU, with my degree in education all mapped out.
3. D’s old girlfriend had recently gotten married (not to him obviously) and he was eager to date around.  Surely BYU was the perfect place to do just that.

 

 

The only problem was that on August 16th, both he and I thought it a good idea to go to Applebee’s.

And the rest was history.

Our relationship moved quickly and so the topic of marriage, as well as all those complicated factors, came up quite often.

Being the planner I am, I was hoping to ‘figure things out’ in a convenient time table.

But ‘D’ in his all- wise Return Missionary voice told me “you can’t rush God.”

So I’d determined to relax and see what happened, though the thought of deciding between a boyfriend and a missionary in three short months gave me serious anxiety.

 

That same night, D and I drove up the Provo Canyon somewhere, parked the car, blasted good music and got out to dance, as we often did.

Phil Vassar was the artist of choice, and actually quite sentimental to both of us, since he performed at one of our first dates.

We talked a little as we danced and at one point, D actually came out and said “I believe we will get married . . . but I am just having fun dating you for right now.”

After that there wasn’t much to be said although I was kind of in awe at the commitment of his words- and yet the lack of commitment as well.

As we stood there, dancing in the headlights, I had a strange thought.

I was thinking to myself that although we were very comfortable with one another, D and I were still strangers. 

I decided that it would be so cool if the person I was supposed to marry seemed familiar to me because, after all, we’d likely known each in the previous life.

‘Anyway,’ I thought, I digress.

And then I looked up at D, and I knew him.

It was kind of freaky for a minute.

So freaky that I suppressed that feeling as quickly as I could and just continued slow dancing.

When the song ended, we walked over to a stream and sat on a rock. 

Something possessed me to tell him my whole thought process that had just occurred. 

When I finished, I looked down sheepishly and felt kind of like a goof. 

But D looked at me with wide eyes and said “I felt the exact same thing.”

He also wanted to race back to the car and replay the song that had been on, because he felt it was significant.

So we did.

It was a song I’d never heard, called “Stand Still,” and the words, to me at least, were perfect.  We sat there a bit emotional and I turned to him and said, “uh, so now what?”

And he said, “uh, I think we should get married.”

And so we did:

 

Stand Still lyrics
In the spring I dreamed of summer
To feel the sunlight on my skin
But in the heat I'd start to hunger
For that autumn chill again
I always spent my time anticipating
Things to come
But now I wish that I could slow the
World down just this once and
Stand still
I'm right where I wanna be
Holding you in the middle of the moment
Of my life
The way I feel
I don't care what's in front of me
Or what's behind me I just wanna
Stop the wheel
And stand still

I have driven by a sunset
Let it pass without a glance
I took so many things for granted
Counting on a second chance
But touching you right now is something
I don't wanna miss
I know my finest hour is the one I'm living in
Stand still
I'm right where I wanna be
Holding you in the middle of the moment
Of my life
The way I feel
I don't care what's in front of me
Or what's behind me I just wanna
Stop the wheel
And stand still
Stand still
I'm right where I wanna be
Holding you in the middle of the moment
Of my life
The way I feel
I don't care what's in front of me
Or what's behind me I just wanna
Stop the wheel
And stand still
Oh baby, I just wanna stop the wheel
And stand still
Stand still

 

 

Perfect, right?  I told ya so. 

And last night I felt that the words were so relevant to our stage in life.  I am ALWAYS wishing things would slow down and never change.

And the words were so relevant to last night as well, as we layed in bed beside each other, listening to a beautiful song that had a huge meaning in our lives. 

It was the perfect moment to just ‘stand still’ and hold each other.

I drifted off to sleep on cloud nine, feeling like the luckiest person on the planet.