Happily Ever After

We went to a couple of weddings with the kids last weekend.  I realized that it's been quite a while since I've gone to one.  It seemed like, for a while, we were always going to someone's wedding. Then, nearly abruptly, there were none.  After some thought I realized that weddings, like most everything else, have a life cycle.

When you are a kid, you go to very few weddings, and are they ever magical!  The bride, usually some friend of the family, or a baby sitter who usually runs around in cut-offs with hair in a messy pony tail, walks down the aisle, transformed into unspeakable beauty, arm in arm with her dad.  I remember the collective gasp that filled the sancturary as I witnessed my first wedding.  I really thought a fairy had shown up and miraculously turned my neighbor into a veritable princess.  I was hooked.  I wanted to be a bride more than anything on earth!

Over the years I bought some bridal magazines, just to read and dream.  My friends and I would talk about our wedding, someday, when we're grown-ups.  We would drift off to sleep mumbling about music, shoes, veils, and the perfect dress.  We never did, however, outwardly dream of the "perfect groom", just the perfect wedding.  As far as finding the right guy, everyone told us, we'd "just know".

After high school, through the end of college, every one you know is getting married.  There are endless cross country trips, big dresses, parties and the joy of watching your closest girlfriends one, by one, by one, turn into a princess for the day, then ultimately, into Mrs. New-Last-Name.  At times a little embarrassing, since we are all so young, yet "grown up", but not grown up enough to have the financial resources to physically help the couple that is so dear to our heart.  It was always so curious, yet heartwarming to me as a 20-something, as to why there were always so many "old" friends of the family that would take the large portion of the day or night to attend a wedding of a young person that they hadn't seen in many years.

One day, it was finally my turn.  I had found the love of my life, the wedding and honeymoon planning was complete.  We had a wonderful celebration filled with many of my college, high school, and life long friends.  Many of these folks were people that had known my Mom, Dad, and Grandparents, much better than they knew me.  I was so encouraged to see faithful, strong, solid marriages there for me that day to send us on our way.  It was a beautiful day.  I saw the children of my married friends, and children that I used to baby sit gasp at the back door of the Church that hot July day.  I remembered their look, and now they were looking at me.

Opening presents that evening was overwhelming.  I remember opening a box from a sweet old Lady friend of my now Mother-in-Law.  Inside was my entire silverware set!  I opened a box from a old boss of my mother to find an entire set of cookware.  The list can go on, but I realized that from those older guests of mine on that day, I received two gifts.  First the gift of example of faithfulness to their marriage covenant and what that really looks like year after year.  Secondly, I received the practical tools to run a household, things that 22 year olds physically and financially can't get for each other.  The picture frames I received from my high school friends are priceless to me, but in my cedar chest.  I will use my cookware in about 20 minutes and feed my children with the same silverware I received from Mrs. Wingate 19 years ago.

It's been about 10 years since the last wedding I attended, until last weekend.  I now know what it takes to keep a marriage strong, run a household, and helped two young couples on their way last Saturday.  I remember thinking what a blessing those "older couples" bring to the table.  I was thinking of how important it is for my daughter to experience this, and that little girls need to see not just the day to day living out of the marriage covenant, but the beginning of "happily ever after".

And so, there we were, in our Sunday best to watch our neighbor's best friend on her special day. As the prelude music finished, the church became silent.  With everyone on their feet, perfectly still, the back door of the Church opened, the organ started, and my eyes filled with tears hearing my own daughter gasp with delight watching the bride glide down the aisle arm in arm with her dad.