A Distant Music Begining to Swell

It stood, still in the bag that had kept it clean and away from the dust, dirt, and moths that had been ready to attack its beauty. It was stark, glimmering in the light, awaiting my presence. But I wasn't ready to go to it yet, not ready to put all the folds of beauty upon my body. I wanted to wait awhile, just gazing and beholding what would wrap itself around me when I met my beloved.



I moved towards it, tiptoeing across the floor, reaching my hand out towards it and brushing across the ivory fabric. Finally I was ready to put all the folds of satin on. Lifting my arms, the dress slipped onto my body, I squirmed until it fit itself in the correct spot. I lifted my blue eyes, soft with wonder, to the mirror and smiled at what I saw. This was a hint, a taste of what my beloved might see the afternoon that waited ahead of us in anticipation. This simple, but elegant dress made me smile from head to toe. I felt beautiful, exquisite, and ready to meet the one I loved.

I wondered what my beloved would think. What would his eyes behold when we saw me for the very first time? When my steps made their way down the aisle of the church, what thoughts would be going through his head? Would he see the beauty of the dress in the same way that I had? Would the folds of satin and sheer enrapture him, like it had done to me when I saw it for the very first time?


As the seamstress wove her hand through the material, adjusting the length and the fabric, pinning things here and there, I found myself continuing to think about this dress. All of this thinking and dreaming, trying on and seeing how it fit brought me to a great field of thoughts. It was as if in the moments of trying on this wedding dress that I was in fact trying on my new life, if only for just a minute. I kept thinking about what my beloved would see, think, and feel as we entered into this life together. As these adjustments were made, I reflected upon the last few months of transitions and preparations for this life to come. Like the seamstress pinning, tucking, and letting out, my beloved and I were making adjustments in our own lives. Learning each others quirks and then letting them be, seeing the needs that we had and then letting them be met, laughing as we reflected, dreamed, and hoped for the future.



I sighed, enjoying the last minute with the dress before I had to take it back and return it for the last few changes before our afternoon of celebration. Excitement rippled through me. Another step in the process of growing closer to my beloved. I had an opportunity to catch just a glimpse of what the future might be like with the one I loved. Like my dress, it was not perfect, it had to be hemmed, taken in, and let out in different places to fit me. Our life too would have to transition and change as we began to live our life together. Together, my dress and my reflections held promises of great things to come...