The Winds of Fall

 As I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly I heard a rustling sound

Rustling leaves outside my door, merely leaves, being moved around

My eyes were closed, or almost there 

As I reposed, sunk deep in my chair

The wind, it swirls this time of year

The freshly fallen leaves are near

They rustle as the wind doth mourn

They shuffle as they sail airborne

My thoughts were sailing with the wind

The wounds return and seldom mend

Of times gone by, once filled with joys

Now pushed aside, like discarded toys

I can see her face, I can feel her touch

Her mirthful eyes spoke, oh so much

Her tender touch reached pure and deep 

And still it lingers, e'en in my sleep

No greater love had mortal man

Than I for she, there is no wan

Tho I grow old and cannot see

My love for her will constant be

So rustle all you winds of Fall

And wake me from my sleepy pall

You'll not create me any peril

My thoughts revert to my sweet Cheryl.

 

Without Her

 I cannot gauge the depth of someone’s love for another, only my own. Yet in my heart of hearts I so believe that none have ever loved more than I have loved my sweet Cheryl. Certainly, I have never loved, or cared, or felt the level of devotion for any other person as I have for her. Notwithstanding my parents , siblings, children and grandchildren; it is not the same. When Tom Cruise told Renee Zellweger, “You complete me” he echoed the exact sentiments of my heart toward Cheryl. I thought I had loved women in this world, I have felt strong affection for more than one over the years, but none have completed me, in every sense of the word, as Cheryl.

She was my closest companion, my best friend, my confidante and the sweetest love I have ever known. Our twenty-seven years together wove us into a tight- knit bond that will last an eternity. She waits for me and I eagerly desire to join her again. My heart aches for her gentle touch, her soft-spoken words of encouragement, her generous spirit, her open affection for those she loves still, and her sweet presence in the midst of chaos. I did not realize how utterly reliant I was on her affection for me and how dependent I was on her strength in our interaction together. Oh, she did complete me, in every sense of the word.

I do not think I truly understood how much I loved her, until the instant that I knew that she was gone forever. I am a rational man, a sensible man, not given to excitement, but I felt as if a force had been removed from my universe. A major element had been fractured that held me together, that kept me “between the curbs of life”

My sense of loss is profound, my compass is broken, my soul-mate is gone, I have no where to look but up. I have no where to trust but in a merciful God to lead me from this malaise to a better place where I can regain my sense of self-worth. I can not express my complete loss of purpose without her by my side. I love my family dearly and I know they are trying to be there for me, but the gap they try to fill is immense. Only my heavenly father can heal the open wound in my heart.

I pray for God’s grace to lead me in search of the “Great Hope” we have through His son, and to teach me to hang on to that hope for eternity.

 

 

 

 

My Sweet Cheryl

Cheryl Lee Connor Warbritton

February 23, 1950 – August 6, 2020

 

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakesphere

“My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite.” (Act II, scene ii)

 

             “I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest.”                  (Act IV, scene i)

 

Requiem to my Sweet Cheryl

 

I watched her leave this world today,

I watched her life just slip away,

She struggled hard, her life to keep,

The cancerous spread was just too deep.

 

She begged for help I could not provide,

She fought the pain, as I cried inside,

If only I could have been the one,

To suffer for her, till she was gone.

 

The ache that dwells within my heart,

Has caused a wound that will not part,

It’s broken, shattered, vastly torn,

And ne’r shall mend till I, you mourn

 

Merciful God in heaven above

I pray she’s sheltered in Your love,

I watched her leave this world today,

I watched her life just slip away.

Happy Birthday Darlin'

 

An auburn-haired beauty is she,

With grace, she enchanted poor me.

She spreads her mellifluous charm,

To all whom are favored to meet,

And knocks them right off-of-their feet

I emerged from the midst of the throng;

As she spun her delightful diphthong.

When I climbed to the top of the list,

I asked the great question of time,

And now she is evermore mine.

She pledged to betroth,

And each day to bestow,

All the love that one could endure.

Have I told you today? She will playfully whim,

And it fills my poor heart to the brim.

By God’s grace she’s mine,

What a blessing so fine!

I don’t even know where to start.

She’s the girl of my dreams; she fills every need;

I am blessed beyond hope- Indeed!

May the good Lord who sent you,

Give you all he deems you are due,

And when in pursuit of the goals of your life

I trust he’ll continue to bless you,

And I trust that I’ll be there too!

From your faithful, loving, patient, perfectly happy

and adoring soul mate on your life’s journey.

Written many years ago on the occasion of her birthday.

In this life, I was loved by you

•  

   Two years ago I lost the dearest soul I've ever known. To say that I have cried for her every day since then would not be an exaggeration, not broken down uncontrollable grief, but sweet, wonderful memories of love that has been lost. Death is a part of living, the final chapter on this earth, and it is the beginning of a new life in Heaven or  an eternity without those you have loved and left behind. I choose Hope, eternal Hope, that our common faith in Jesus binds us eternally with Him in Heaven. God bound our souls in love on this planet and I believe that we are bound for eternity with Him. Losing one you love so dearly is perhaps the greatest pain to endure, but grasping Hope for ever after is a soothing salve that assuages the searing agony that will not dissipate. Hope is my anchor, my eternal foundation for an endless reunion with all those I have loved and lost. I pray that you share that Hope with me.

  

In this life I was loved by you

For all I've been blessed with in this life

There was an emptiness in me

I was imprisoned by the power of gold

With one honest touch you set me free

Let the world stop turnin'

Let the sun stop burnin'

Let them tell me

Love's not worth goin' through

If it all falls apart

I will know deep in my heart

The only dream that mattered

Had come true

In this life I was loved by you

For every mountain I have climbed

Every raging river crossed

You were the treasure

That I longed to find

Without your love I would be lost

Let the world stop turnin'

Let the sun stop burnin'

Let them tell me

Love's not worth going through

When it all fell apart

I knew deep in my heart

The only dream that mattered

Had come true

In this life I was loved by you

In this life, I was loved by you

Lyrics as sung by Collin Ray and as I used to sing to my sweet Cheryl.

https://music.amazon.com/browse/tracks/artist/B000QJNOAI/popular-songs

In the words of another song by Collin Ray, I am so thankful for the gift of her love and the great hope I hold for a blessed reunion in Heaven.

 If you get there before I do, don't give up on me

I'll meet you when my chores are through

I don't know how long I'll be

But I'm not gonna let you down

Darling wait and see

And between now and then

Until I see you again

I'll be lovin' you, love, me

 

CHERYL LEE

 

Cheryl Lee, Cheryl Lee

I’ve got a girl named Cheryl Lee

Her hair is red and her lips are too

When she’s gone, I am O’ so blue

 

Cheryl, My Cheryl Lee

You’re the only girl for me

She told me No, and it changed to Yes

Nothing more and nothing less

 

O’ Cheryl, My Cheryl Lee

I truly love your southern tea

You make me laugh and you make me cry

I’ll love you Darlin’, till the day I die

The Happiest Man on Earth

 

It wasn't her first marriage and it wasn't mine either. I had four adult children and she had a fourteen year old daughter. We both had been down this road and we knew a lot about disappointments and failures. But we were really in love; whole-hearted, fully committed, undeniably attracted and determined to make it a successful adventure in our lives. Without question we were best friends and had total trust in each other. There really is nothing like planning to live the rest of your life with your BFF (Thought I'd throw that in for you millennials). We had both been single for several years and though I had been "keeping an eye out", I'm pretty sure that she wasn't looking.

Actually Cheryl was an answer to my prayers, literally. I had recently prayed through, took myself out of the equation and had totally "left it with God" to point me in the right direction. If you are not a believer, you should try it sometime, as we say "let go and let God". It didn't happen immediately and it didn't happen on my timetable. But when it happened, it happened as surely as Tiny Tim tip-toed through the tulips. We fell in love and everything shouted out to us that this was the real thing. And it still is.

Granny wasn't keen on losing Angela to a stranger that had just stepped into her daughter's life and I don't blame her. I had to earn the right to be deserving of her beautiful daughter and granddaughter. So, we waited for a few months and had an awkward courting period for a couple of forty-somethings. I think that when my daughter Amy sat in Santa's (Harold) lap at the family Christmas gathering and told him that all she wanted was for Daddy and Cheryl to get married, it broke the ice and cleared the way to proceed. I was ready, had been ready, I knew in my heart that she was the answer to my prayers. She needed to see that I would make a suitable father figure for her daughter. I reckon that I must have passed because shortly afterwards she accepted my engagement ring and we set the date for early June.

As a matter of fact it was June the 4th, my oldest son's birthday. We did the planning ourselves (no Fraanck) and many of our collective families advised they would be coming. We also had many friends and work associates who wanted to see us joined in Holy matrimony. Cheryl's brother John and David were ordained ministers so we asked John to preside over the ceremony and David to say a prayer. Our kids can all sing so we asked Angela, Amy and Mendy and David to sing and we picked out some of our favorite pieces of music to play. Cheryl and I wrote our own vows, we got an arch to put in Granny's backyard and we rented some chairs for everyone to sit in and a PA system to play the music. Cheryl baked her famous sour cream pound cake with strawberry layers in between and placed them on a three-tier wedding cake stand. Everybody had a part and they played it well.

This was the second time around for both of us so we had no fear of the proceedings. Even though it rained heavily in the morning; the sun popped out and all was dry by the time the ceremony started. Everything went perfectly as planned; the singing was beautiful, the music over the PA was perfectly timed, everyone was seated properly by Darren and Michael, a string quartet played Pachelbel's canon as I walked Cheryl from the staircase on the back of the deck, John and Dave presided over the ceremony, Cheryl and I recited our vows in view of God and man, and we exchanged rings to seal the deal. We had dinner for all, cut the delicious cake and shared it with our guests, and  then we played lots of vintage music from Beethoven to the Ink Spots. Most of us, including Taylor and Kristofer, danced in Granny's backyard. I became the happiest man on earth. After celebrating our twenty-fifth anniversary this year, I still am.



My beautiful bride waits for ceremony to start with Granny and Angela

THE WEDDING

Radiant bride prepares her Mom







Michael escorts Mama to her seat

Beautiful bride descends the staircase

I escort my bride to the alter

Angela sings her solo

The ceremony

Bouquet toss to unmarried ladies

Cut the cake

Eat the cake

THE PROGRAM

 THE VOWS

THE PROOF

THE FAMILY GROUP PHOTOS

Cheryl's immediate family

My immediate family

Me and my bros Mike and Ted

Cheryl's extended family

My extended family

Three generations of Cheryl and her cousins

Granny's brothers and sisters



My work team from AT&T

THE AFTER WEDDING DINNER SOCIAL

I think Granny was happy

Fay and Ted with Ralph and Betty

Sweet Amy with Mike and Cynthia

Chatting with Barbara, Betsy and John



How many folks have their grandchildren dance at their wedding?

Little angels, Taylor and Kristofer



Pooped out after dancing

Brothers wedding waltz

I think we're in love



The happiest man on the planet and his lovely lady (I think we're singing to each other)


HONEYMOON ON SANIBEL ISLAND

HOPE is the Key

                                                             HOPE IS THE KEY

Lord, thank You for those happy years, 

For watching o’er us in our fears, 

Thank You for the joy we shared,

And all the times You showed You cared .

In spite of every pain and tear,

We felt You ever close and near, 

For never were You far away, 

Just a silent prayer, both night or day.

When life’s short journey nears an end, 

When we can’t see around the bend, 

And though we fight the valiant fight, 

We know for sure the end’s in sight. 

We only trust what we have learned, 

We know Your word is never spurned, 

Our days are numbered that’s for sure 

Thank you for Your word that’s pure 

To lose a loved one You have given, 

To take them to their home in Heaven, 

Such sweet sorrow still breaks our heart, 

To lose the one, we would not part. 

 But in Your word we will endeavor, 

And hope with all our hearts forever, 

For Hope is the key to renew our love, 

To unite us again, when we meet above.

Written by David Warbritton in honor of my forever love, my sweet Cheryl

Romans 3:3-5

‘We can rejoice too when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance, and endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”