Love Birds

Getting people hitched can be a mighty big deal. Our three sons all did it. Their weddings were beautiful, meaningful and exhausting. My niece got hitched this last weekend. It's been awhile since I decorated one, but suffice it to say, now I need about a week of naps to catch up. My daughter and I gussied up the church. My precious niece was there with her fiance, all butterflying around. The next day, we decorated the big venue for the reception. We had an army of young people, swarming like so many bees to get it all done. Our family doesn't know the meaning of paying other people to do things...we DIY the fool out of everything, including weddings. In the end, it looks like a million bucks. We're only out a fraction of the typical soiree, although we're all knotted up and pert-near crippled when we get done. All that work, for a 20-minute ceremony and then a few hours of eating and dancing. At one of our weddings, a rich uncle, who didn't know any better, stated, "Man, somebody's put out some jack for this event!" I think they're prettier than the fancy, paid-for weddings anyway, even if we have to lose a pound of flesh to get there. Our baby daughter is the last of my children at home. I'm hoping we can all hold out long enough to do her proud someday when it's her turn.

There's always got to be drama of one kind or the other, or maybe lots of it. This one was no different, but with an extra dose. Without dragging in details, we had some scrambling and rearranging to do at the last minute. The bride was a shredded mess the day before, but still kind and patient. I worried her pretty new eyelashes might wilt before the wedding, there was so much weighing on her (though not from her fiance-- he was a perfect Southern gentleman, tenderly caring for her. I didn't know him before, but I really liked him after that). By Friday evening, we were spent. I wondered how the bride could re-find her wings, after the emotional torrent of the day. She looked deflated. I prayed for the next morning to find her ready and refreshed.

Saturday: wedding day! The bridal party lined up at the front, the bridesmaids a plethora of autumn leaves all done up in chiffon, each one different and lovely. Then came the stunning bride, a veiled vision in lace with a train that trailed for days. Her hair was impossibly beautiful, braided and skillfully coiled around her glowing face. No trace of trouble. No trace of fear. Just joy for the day and eyes for her groom. The Good Book says that a wedding is a picture of Christ coming for His bride, the Church. I love that. Love and respect are at the heart of a good marriage. Half of them end in divorce. I prayed this one will flourish and grow, an example to a weary world. 

A long day and much eating and dancing ensued as we wound down at the reception. There were candles enough to burn down the barn and twinkle lights strung across the lawn, enough to light up a football field. The old folks watched, the young folks and babies danced, then the luminaries and sparklers were lit. The happy couple made their way through the gauntlet of light....the groom swept her up and kissed her midway through, amid much hoopin' and hollerin'. Then they were off, with a squeal of wheels and more noise. We turned to laugh and breathe a sigh of relief. We talked of how we're not going to do it this big next time, how we've got to find a way to make this simpler...none of us believing it. The army of young folks starting the cleanup. Papa said I had to go home, that they could manage without me this time. So we sauntered down two blocks back to our car, holding hands and breathing in the sweet night air. The moon looked like a bucket of cream. I looked at my dear groom, recalling our wedding those many years ago and all the blissful ignorance of youth. I thanked God for blessing me with a good man like him. I remembered those first, flushed feelings of how lucky I was, how I got exactly the one I wanted. I sometimes forget that, in all our shuffling to stay ahead. But there he is, my knight man, steady and strong of heart. And here I am, still lucky.