As everyone who has read my blog knows, I’m a Katrina Survivor. I had 8.5 ft of water in my home for three weeks which, pretty much destroyed everything. While gutting the house, I found my wedding video from my first marriage, it was in a case but, sitting in all of that muck for so long, I thought it was ruined. I just didn’ t have the heart to throw it away so, I kept it. I don’t really remember how long I let it sit upstairs before I decided to play it but, when I did, it didn’t work.
Still, I didn’t have the heart to throw it away. Even though I wasn’t with that person anymore, the wedding ceremony was beautiful and the reception was off the chain, we had so much fun, and it had all of my family and friends on there…many who are no longer with me so, I put it in my hall closet and there it sat for three years.
Three days ago, I was clearing out some things in that closet and ran across the video. I just stared at it and then said to myself with resignation, “I may as well throw it away now” and walked to the trash can holding the video in my hand when something said to me, “play it.”
I have learned to listen to that “little voice” that speaks to me so, I went into the bedroom and put the tape in the VHS player (yeah, I still use the dinosaur) and sadly pressed the play button.
It played but was doing a hell of a lot of “auto tracking” so you couldn’t make anything out…..
FOR THE FIRST 5 SECONDS!!!!
The rest of the tape plays beautifully!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was so wonderful to watch, I got to see my mother again…living, breathing, talking, laughing, and 2nd-lining at her baby’s girls wedding. Baaaby, she was strutting like a peacock that day.
Ok, she thought her you know what didn’t stink…let me keep it real.
So many friends and relatives that have passed on are on that tape,….uncles, aunts, cousins…my best friend who died at 35 to breast cancer that, it was very emotional for me to watch but, I made it through. I wasn’t sad, in fact, I was so happy to be able to see them again that, that’s what made me so emotional. Tears of joy are my kind of tears.
My son watched the video (remember he never met his biological father) and he was able to see just how crazy and goofy my ex is. His reaction when he saw him, ” I look JUST like him, NOW I know why I act so crazy. My son has a wonderful sense of humor like my ex and I. I’m glad he was able to see him even if just on that video…I think he needed that,and even something as simple as that video, put some things in perspective for him.
I am going to see if I can have it transferred to a DVD and put that copy somewhere where I know it will be safe for my son to have when he is a little older.
I am so grateful for that wonderful blessing…that one little tape means so much when you have so little in terms of tangible memories.
But mostly,I am proud of myself for being able to hear God and listen to him when he whispered “play it” in my ear.