Our Dear Friend Tom

Our dear friend Tom is coming to stay with us for a few days this week! I have a great story that goes along with how Aaron and I met Tom and how much our friendship with him has grown over the past few years:

Five years ago, when Aaron and I had just begun dating, he took me to a small, intimate concert at a Christian coffee shop in Pineville, NC called "The Well." A singer/songwriter named Tom Conlon was performing and I had only heard his music on CDs that Aaron had let me borrow.

That night, I was blown away by Tom's incredible voice and talent on the guitar. Aaron still laughs when he reminds me of how I spent most of that evening: sitting on a couch in the front row, legs curled beneath me, eyes closed, swaying from side to side, singing along. Tom is one of the very few artists I've seen in concert that sound better live than they do on CD. It was that night that I became a die-hard Tom Conlon fan.

Over the next few years, Aaron and I went to almost every one of Tom's shows within a 200 mile radius of Rock Hill. We enjoyed getting to know him (and his dog "Roadie") and loved hearing stories about his life and how the songs he wrote came to be.

Fast forward to April 2007. Aaron and I were planning our wedding and trying to figure out what special elements we wanted in our ceremony. For years we had joked that we wanted Tom to play guitar and sing at our wedding, but the dream seemed so far-fetched that we never thought seriously about it. (You see, Tom is a pretty busy guy and we figured he would have more important things to do than sing in our little ol' wedding at a plantation in Charleston...). Just for kicks, I decided to look up his tour schedule and see where he would be on our wedding day (September 8th, 2007).

Now, God likes to do really awesome things...but this was almost creepy. Tom was scheduled to play a show in CHARLESTON on Thursday, September 6th and another on Sunday, September 9th. Whoa.

We ended up booking Tom for our wedding date and gave him free reign to pick all of the songs for our ceremony. Each of the songs he picked were special to us and they took on an entirely new meaning on our wedding day.

I'll never forget the feeling that came over me when Tom began playing "Sacred Things" as I walked down the aisle to meet my groom. Every bit of emotion that had been running though my body for the past few months managed to escape though the tears that streamed down my face.

Thankfully, I was able to compose myself and enjoy our wedding ceremony without blubbering through the entire thing like a complete emotional wreck (which is a miracle in itself!).

I still get teary-eyed when "Sacred Things" comes on my iPod. No matter where I am or what I'm doing, that song always takes me back to a time and place that is more special than words can describe. Aaron and I are SO thankful to have a friend who would take time out of his busy schedule to make our wedding day so unforgettable.

Tom is playing a show at "The Well" in Pineville this coming Saturday, February 21st at 8pm. We would love to see you there!

We love you, Tom! Aaron and I can't wait to visit with you this week (and kick your butt in some Wii boxing and Rock Band!)