Many children await their parents’ blessing before walking down the aisle. For one particular bride-to-be, she wanted to call off her wedding after receiving a letter from her late father.
Madison was all set to marry her long-time boyfriend, Jeff. They had been preparing all summer long for their big day, and the only thing left to do was introduce Jeff to her father, Bill, to ask for his blessing.
Bill lived in another state, as he and Madison’s mom were divorced. While her mom lived nearby and could easily visit Madison, she only saw her dad a couple of times a year.
When Bill came over for dinner one night, the atmosphere in the room was cold and awkward. Bill didn’t like Jeff because he was a musician. He didn’t think this was a stable profession that could support his little girl and their future children.
During dinner, Bill couldn’t help but voice his opinions on Jeff. “Do you have plans on getting a stable job?” he asked at one point.
“Being a musician is a stable job,” Jeff told his future father-in-law. “I sell music online, and I have gigs every week. It doesn’t pay as much as being a doctor does, but I get paid,” he clarified.
“Until when will your gigs happen? It’s not like you can perform at local bars forever. How will you feed my daughter and your future children?” Bill shot back.
Jeff tried his best to remain patient out of respect for Madison, but he couldn’t. He blew up at Bill, saying it was none of his business how he planned to support his future family.
The night ended in chaos, and Bill drove back home to another state without giving his blessing. Meanwhile, Madison cried all night. She loved her father dearly and wanted him to approve of her choice of man.
Madison didn’t realize that her pain wouldn’t stop there. The following morning, she received a call from her dad’s best friend that Bill never made it back home.
“Is he still there with you?” his friend Jason asked Madison. Confused, she said no.
Jason sighed from the other side of the line. “Then it must be true,” he said quietly.
“What’s true?” Madison asked him.
“A blue sedan, exactly like what your dad drives, was found wrecked on the side of the road early this morning. The man was said to be in his late 50s and was brought to a nearby hospital,” Jason revealed.
Shocked, Madison collapsed to the floor. “No, it can’t be him!” she cried.
Madison drove to the hospital to verify whether or not the missing man was her father. She was devastated when she learned and confirmed that it was him who succumbed to his injuries just a couple of hours after the accident.
“There will be no wedding,” she sobbed to Jeff while mourning her dad in bed. “Please allow me to mourn my dad,” she added, asking everyone else in the room to give her space.
For months, Madison never spoke about her wedding, as she didn’t want to get married without her father’s blessing. She valued him too much to disregard what he thought, and she missed him a lot.
However, Madison slowly began to heal with a lot of support from her mom and Jeff’s patience and love for her. She started being open to talking about the wedding again, and a new date was set.
On their wedding day, wearing a beautiful white satin dress, Madison sat in front of a mirror. She was in awe and could not recognize herself. After a few moments of silence, somebody knocked on the door. It was her mom, dressed in her own beautiful gown.
“I have something for you, sweetheart,” she said, sitting down beside her. “I think you should read it before the ceremony begins. It’s from your dad,” she added.
Madison’s heart began to beat rapidly. She opened the envelope quickly and began to read. On a piece of crumpled paper, her dad’s messy handwriting wrote:
“Dear Madison,
I hate that this is my last letter to you. I’m writing this from a hospital. I don’t know how much longer I have as my injuries are quite bad. I know I didn’t want you to marry Jeff…”
Madison suddenly stopped reading and began to cry. She took off her veil and buried her face in her hands. “I can’t do it… I just can’t get married without him here with me. I always thought he’d be the one to walk me down the aisle,” Madison cried.
“Sweetheart, but your dad is here,” her mom replied. Madison was confused, but a glimmer of hope suddenly filled her heart that somehow, her dad would be with her. Her face paled as she looked down at her father’s letter.
“Read the letter,” her mother urged.
“My heart will always be with you, Madison, even after death. I am giving you and Jeff my blessing. All I want is for you to be happy, and I know that’s exactly what you are with him. Be blessed, and always remember that daddy will always love you with all his heart.”
After reading the letter, Madison looked at her mother. “What does this mean, mom?”
“Sweetheart, your uncle Jason spoke to the hospital after your dad’s death, and they revealed that he allowed his heart to be transplanted to another person who could be saved. All he asked was for that person to be with you on your special day,” her mother revealed.
At that, a stranger entered the room. “This is David. Your father’s heart is beating in David’s chest. He’s right here, right next to you,” her mother smiled.
Madison couldn’t help but cry. “Dad meant it when he said he’d always be with me,” she said, hugging David. She could hear his heart beating and closed her eyes to imagine that she was hugging her dad.
A couple of minutes later, Madison walked down the aisle beside David, in whose chest her father’s heart was beating. She looked up, smiling, knowing that her father was there with her. It was the best day of her life.
