30 Years Ago …
The year 1993 will forever be remembered in history as one of the most important and critical years of all time. Events will be set in motion that would change the course of history, the world would witness one of the greatest teams to ever compete in the NBA led by THE greatest player the sport has ever seen, the cinematic universe would reach new heights with historical movie releases, and the music industry will experience some of the greatest hits to ever cross the airwaves. However, with all of the monumental events taking place around the world, it was a small obscure event happening in a remote little chapel that would forever change my life. More on that later.
1993 would bring some of the greatest movies ever and one movie would raise the bar in the CGI world. In June “Jurassic Park” would blow the world away and would be the top grossing movie of the year for good reason. A not so close second but still one of my favorite movies of all time, “The Fugitive”, would release later in August but barely gross half of what Jurassic Park accomplished. Whitney Houston’s single, “I Will Always Love You” was the hottest single of the year with Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World” and Rod Stewart’s “Have I Told You Lately” also holding top spots. The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Buffalo Bills 30-13 to win Super Bowl XXVII, the Toronto Blue Jays Defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 4 games to 2 to win their second consecutive World Series title, and in June Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls defeated Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns 4 games to 2 capping off 3 consecutive titles and Jordan winning his 3rd straight MVP. Can anyone say GOAT!
However, on June 26, 1993, something happened that would forever change my life and continues to influence me to this day. It took place in a small rock chapel with beautiful stained-glass windows on a picture-perfect summer day. A small crowd had gathered mainly consisting of friends and family to witness the sacred event. The little chapel was modestly decorated with candles and pink ribbons, and everyone was dressed for the occasion. Beautiful music filled the room, and it was then that I saw her. Her beauty eclipsed every decoration, and as she walked down the aisle, there was a stillness in the room. She literally took my breath away. We joined hands that day and made a promise to God and to each other. More than a promise though, it was a covenant. A sacred agreement with God to love him and love each other as unconditionally as we possible could. With everything inside us we meant it and we still do.
What an adventure these 30 years have been. They’ve been full of peaks and valleys (mainly peaks), we’ve had so many people invest in our lives and have had the honor of influencing many ourselves. We had the privilege of raising two amazing kids who we are so proud of and still love sharing life with today. The thing that made it so amazing is that we did it all together. Our marriage didn’t just exist over these 30 years, it thrived. Here’s to many more amazing years my love. Happy 30 Year Anniversary Rachel Allen!