I’m not exactly sure when the first time I heard the song actually was. It could have been on the radio station that my mother always listened to while I was growing up, 106.7 WLTW. Perhaps the first time was in an elevator, or maybe it was even playing on a speaker in a restaurant or store somewhere—I’m not quite sure.

While I don’t remember the first time I heard it, I do recall the first time I actually listened to it, and I mean really listened to it. I remember hanging onto the words and really thinking about them as they were so beautifully sung by Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville. I caught onto the repetition pretty easily and found myself singing along with the chorus almost instantly. I immediately fell in love with the song, “All My Life,” and found myself singing the words as if I had been the actual writer of them. I thought about how those very words represented exactly what I wanted to find in my own life. I dreamed of finding that special person in this world who I knew was out there somewhere and was meant just for me. I knew it’d be worth the wait, no matter how long, so that I could spend “all my life” with that person when we finally met and fell in love.

If there was one thing I was sure of since discovering that song, it was that it would be the first song I would dance to as a married woman. I remember telling all my friends that would be my wedding song one day, even when I wasn’t even dating anyone. Although I was sure some couples out there must’ve used the song at their wedding, even if it was just played randomly by the DJ, it had never been played at any of the weddings I had been to—believe me, I would have noticed. That made it even more meaningful. I had fallen in love with a song that wasn’t the latest popular hit, nor was it just an old-fashioned standard go-to, like so many first-dance songs are.

Many of my friends were in relationships and getting ready to tie-the-knot long before me, but everyone knew that I already had “dibs” on the song for years. However, I can recall the phone call I received from my best friend when we were in our early twenties as she was planning her upcoming wedding. Out of the blue, she asked if I’d mind if she used “All My Life” for her first dance at her wedding because she thought it was a pretty song and she hadn’t been able to find anything else. Normally, I’d do anything for my best friend, but on that one, I wasn’t going to budge. While I didn’t own the song and couldn’t really prevent her from actually using it, I did let her know that I really didn’t want her to. It was one of only three things I wanted for myself whenever my special day would come—that wedding song, a videographer to capture my special day, and a honeymoon to Hawaii. Besides my spouse and our families, nothing else was on my must-have wedding list. And while I wasn’t engaged and didn’t have any idea when my big day would actually come, I knew that it eventually would and that it would be my song.

After a couple of minutes of trying to talk me into changing my mind, I reminded her she could do whatever she wanted, but that song was very meaningful to me. When I asked her what it meant to her, she honestly had no response. As her friend, I advised her to really think about what songs may have played significant roles in her relationship, like the first song she and her fiancé ever danced to or a special song that always made her fiancé come to mind when she heard it. I wanted her to find a song that was special to them or one with lyrics that actually resonated with her and represented their relationship. However, I knew it would be a challenge for her because she wasn’t the huge music lover that I was, and still am. When all was said and done, she ended up with a very common first dance song for her wedding, “At Last,” which was great for her, but exactly what I didn’t want. I didn’t want the song that every other bride wanted, just because it was the popular or easy thing to do.

I didn’t end up getting married until 2015, probably about twenty years after first listening to “All My Life.” Everything was absolutely perfect and well worth the wait. I’m proud to say that my three wedding wishes were granted. My wife and I shared our first dance as a married couple to “All My Life,” a phenomenal video crew captured the day perfectly, and we had an amazing honeymoon in Hawaii. Sure “I asked for a little help from above” and I got it tenfold. The angel that was sent to me is better than I ever could have hoped for, asked for, or believed was possible. After searching and patiently waiting all my life, I was fortunate enough to have found the love of my life. Just like the song says, “It’s just like I dreamed it would be.” And better yet—I get to spend all my life with her.