Sunday, September 7, 2008

NOTES FROM HEAVEN........

 Touching story I would like to share.
The ballad of Eddie and Shirley was a Music City romance. They both loved country music long before they loved each other. Eddie was from California and stepped off the train in Nashville with little money in his pocket and a guitar case in his hand with dreams of becoming a songwriter. This was 55 years ago. Shirley had grew up in the area and was an accomplished singer. She had shared the stage with such performer's as, Ernest Tubb, Red Foley, Roy Acuff, Marty Robbins, George Morgan and Billy Walker. Her stage name was Jenny Clay. Eddie and Shirley met on a blind date arranged by her friend who was a fiddler on the Grand Ole Opera.
Eddie would stammer and say, " Your the girl from Tennessee, and she replied, Your the boy from California." That night they played and sang country music for most of the night. Eddie told her that night that " I have never heard one so pretty sing country music like you do, you are cute as a button." That was his name for her the rest of there lives his, BUTTON. She called him "T" after Tarzan.
Within a year they were married and had a son and traveled in a station wagon playing country music at fairs, barn dances, honky tonks, and just about anyplace country music fans congregated. Shirley recorded 16 records but none ever became hits. In time she faded from the music scene, Eddie took a job as a salesman at Sears.
In July, 1996 a mysterious disease hit Shirley, she had trouble standing and would fall down for no reason. She was poked and prodded by neurologist from Nashville, St. Louis, Reno, and Sacromento. Her disease had bedridden her and "T" took care of his BUTTON. In the last year of her life she was totally depentent on him. He never heard her complain. On the morning she died he awoke before her and listened to the ventilator as she slept thinking she had a good nights sleep. She woke and said, " I can't breath, HOLD ME." He replied, "I can't I've got to call 911." "HOLD ME , again she says in a whisper. Soon the EMT's arrive as "T" grew close to her. "YOU SHOULD HAVE HELD ME" SHE SAID SOFTLY, and said no more.
Almost a year had passed since BUTTON had been laid to rest. A year is a long time for a lonely heart. Eddie sure missed his wife of 55 years. One day he picked up her Bible and out fell a small note dated July, 1996 the year her disease appeared, it read; " KNOW THAT I AM WITH YOU IN HEART AND SPIRIT. I MISS YOU, I LOVE YOU DEARLY. YOURS FOREVER, BUTTON. Eddie begins to search for other notes, surely if she hid one note there would be others. He finds a second note and goes on to find 37 notes his BUTTON had hid while she was sick for him to find during his time of sorrow. The last note he found read; MY SWEETEST "T" THERE IS NO ONE IN THE WORLD LIKE YOU. I THANK YOU FROM THE BUTTON OF MY HEART FOR YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT AND ALL YOU HAVE DONE FOR ME. YOUR LOVING BUTTON FOREVER AND EVER.

5 comments:

  1. Indeed a touching story. Thank you =o)

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  2. Thank you, Nick, this story means so much to me. Many fail to understand that this type of love exists. Hug's to my good friend.

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  3. That's a lovely story, wonderful to hear of folk like this....they really were a part of each other.

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  4. Rare. No other word for it Nick
    So few understand .

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