Story with a Song I

As a kid I remember this old VHS tape that was kept with the family collection of Disney videos.  It was unmarked, yet we all knew what was on it: the home video footage from my parent's wedding.  I don't really recall a lot of details from the video, but I remember watching it more than once.

I remember the part where one of my mom's cute little flower girls (either Emily or Karli) slipped on the sidewalk while walking away from the temple.  My mom stopped and helped them back up.

I remember my mom's exquisitely lacy, ruffly and obviously from the 1980's dress.

I remember the cameraman going around at the family dinner quizzing down family members on advice for the newly weds.  My Uncle Al was just as funny as ever and rocking a mean mustache.

What I remember the very most though was a musical number performed by my Aunts Connie and Colette.  They sang "Can't Help Falling In Love."  And because I remember that most, I've always really liked that song.

- - - - - 

This July 19th marks seven years since my Dad's near fatal horse accident.  It's still crazy to look back to that summer and realize just how very close our family was to losing him.  After being bucked off a young horse he was trying to break, the horse proceed to stomp on his abdomen, causing him to nearly bleed to death due to a severed renal artery.  Our family was told to say our goodbyes not once, but twice.  By nothing short of a miracle, he's still here with us today.

After the roller coaster ride of not knowing whether or not he would make it, our family was blessed with a reprieve when the coast was clear.  My Dad was going to live and he was coming out of his coma.  And he was a real jokester while doing so.  We began to wonder if the horse had stepped on his head too, because some of the things he was saying were just plain ludicrous (such as the friendly life advice he offered me: "Kristen, do not become a gynecologist").

We later found out that while coming out of his coma and metabolizing the drugs that kept him unconscious he suffered some quite terrifying hallucinations.  Across from his bed was a medicine and linen closet.  But what he actually saw was a room full of severed heads rigged up with wiring that was running the hospital's computer system.  I believe he even saw some dead babies in there too, which explained why he was always so weary of the nurse watching over him as she kept going over to the closet to retrieve things ("Can we trust her?").

When we eventually found this out, a lot of the silly things my Dad did made sense, especially his raspy singing.  My Dad is a whistler, whenever things get awkward, contentious, or my Dad is just plain uncomfortable, he whistles.  Since he had been intubated for so long, he didn't have the strength to whistle, so he resorted to singing.  And what song did he sing?  "Can't Help Falling In Love."  

I'm so grateful that my family was able to pass through this trial and that we still have my Dad with us today.  I'm grateful for my parents and the example they are to me in striving to live a celestial marriage.  I'm grateful that we were blessed with the opportunity to laugh so quickly after shedding tears (even if it was at my Dad's expense).  And I'm grateful that even after all those years, my Dad couldn't "help falling in love," during a time of fear and uncertainty.

Enjoy my current favourite version of the song "Can't Help Falling In Love."