"I hope these songs bring back happy memories. You will know why I picked them. Every day we were together was the best day of my life. I will love you forever."
Who is J? My wife Judicia. On May 9, 2023, I add the first songs to a 16-track Spotify playlist that only my wife was supposed to see. At first. I made the mix private. But how would she see it if I happened to pass away before her? She doesn't have a Spotify account. That's where my son would come in. I would tell him in advance about the playlist and he would share it when I was gone.
Wait? When I'm gone? I wasn't planning on going anywhere. This is true. But I've always had this premonition that I would die before my wife. I'm 60 years old. She's 62. My son is 32. We're all relatively young. But something has always nagged at me about death. And I wanted to leave behind for her something that would be different than any other keepsake. A “mixtape” – Spotify playlist – seemed the way to go. She knows I'm a music fanatic. My idea was that the “tape” would be a look back at our time together. Especially our early days. Going out, getting married, having a child. Those were the cornerstones of our young relationship.
But the plan almost took a disastrous turn on July 30, 2024. I suffered a stroke and was incapacitated for three days. Luckily, I awoke from the stroke and am doing fine now. But for a few days things were not looking positive. My son came all the way from Australia to spend a week with me as I recovered. When he went back home I remembered the mixtape I had made for my wife. Luckily he played it for her and all turned out well.
Still, I'm reminded how fragile life is. Had I not come out of the stroke as strong as before, what would have become of the musical gift I made for my wife?
"I will love you forever." And I always will.
Click here or on the image above to link to the For J Spotify playlist.
Header image courtesy of Pexels.com/Asad Photo Maldives.
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