My Heart Songs Pt. 1

So I've decided to post some songs that have very strong emotional connections for me as something different yet extremely cliché. It's gonna span a few posts because each has a story behind it to help explain these connections.

"Angels Among Us" by Alabama

This is a song that always brings tears to my eyes and makes me instantly cry and I'm not afraid to admit it. My aunt passed away back in 1994 after losing her battle with breast cancer. I was told that she was diagnosed with terminal cancer, but back then I was in fourth grade and didn't understand what that meant. I just figured she was sick and would be better soon and we'd be back to going to my uncle's baseball games and off playing again. I remember all the times sitting next to her bed and holding her hand, the smell of the incense and candles burning, their smoke mixing together to create a sickly sweet aroma. I can still smell it and remember the feeling of my stomach turning, yet as sick as I felt, it was very calming in a way maybe even a bit peaceful.
The night I was told she passed away, it felt like someone had kicked me in the gut as hard as they could. I couldn't breathe, I cried uncontrollably, I shivered violently and couldn't even stand up. My stomach turned and turned, yet I couldn't throw up even though I fought hard to purge myself of everything just to lessen the pain. It was the first close death I'd ever experienced and it nearly killed me.
At her memorial service, there were hundreds (close to a thousand, no exaggeration) people. I remember sitting in the pew, seeing all these people and how she had touched all of their lives; friends, co-workers, acquaintances, and of course family. I knew less than 50 people in the entire church, yet seeing them all weep as hard as I was made me realize that even though we didn't know each other, we all were hurting from the loss of such an amazing person.
Just before the service ended, they played this song which I had never heard before, and it was her favorite song. It was one of the most surreal experiences I've ever been a part of. As soon as this song started playing, I knew the lyrics. Maybe it was playing every time I held her hand in her bed, yet I'd never noticed, but somehow I knew all the lyrics, still do to this day. All I can think of now when I hear this song is all those people gathered together and hope that when I die, if I can have a gathering of even half as many as that day, then I'd consider my life worth it.