A welcome surprise at a Joe Satriani rock concert leads me to stand in awe at the beauty of the gifts from the universe and trust that the universe knows best.
I was in my early 20s at the Chicago Theatre with my long-time boyfriend (now husband), to see guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani serenade a crowd of music lovers.
We had been dating for several years at that point, and we knew that when we got married, the song we would dance to at our wedding would be Joe Satriani’s “Always with me, Always with you.”
The year we saw Joe Satriani, we were in the midst of attending 30 rock ‘n’ roll concerts—from Motley Crue (the loudest band I ever saw live) to meeting Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson from Rush before a show at the United Center in Chicago.
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So there we were, at the Joe Satriani concert, standing in one of the back rows (I was in an aisle seat) having a great time, being in the moment with the music. During the middle of the show, a man who was sitting close to the stage walked toward us, asking us if we wanted his tickets. We looked at each other and simultaneously said “Sure!” We're so glad we did. I don't know why that man asked us if we wanted his tickets, but consider it destiny. Because when we kept walking down that center aisle, we saw that the tickets were for one of the front rows. And in a beat, we were just inches away from Satriani.
As we arrived, he finished the song he was playing, and as soon as we heard the beginnings of the chords for the next song, we knew it was meant to be. It was “Always with me, Always with you.” It was if Satriani was playing just for us. And was as if he knew.
Tears trickled down my cheeks. I breathed in the beauty of the moment. This was such a magnificent gift from the universe. I felt it then—a connection with a greater force. Even writing this now, I am getting chills because this is still one of my favorite memories with my husband.
I stood there with him in stillness, listening to this music in appreciation. He put his arm around me and we looked at each other. Without words, we knew this was more than a coincidence. This was an instance of the universe talking to us.
This experience made playing this song at our wedding almost exactly two years later even more special.
The universe continues to talk to me in many ways. Some of them are obvious, while others are more subtle. The universe is speaking to you, too. Are you open to receiving its messages?
The universe is always with me and it’s always with you. Hold out your hands to receive and accept its gifts.