I attended my nephew’s wedding this weekend. I wore the purple dress that I had picked out months ago at an end of season sale. I wore silver sequined accessories including shoes, purse and shawl in case the weather became cool as one never knows what to expect the first week of October in the Carolinas. It turned out that the day was rainy after almost a month of drought. The wedding venue was on a farm. The outside ceremony had to be cancelled and brought indoors. The barn was decorated in farmhouse style with chandeliers and rustic tables. Lovely peach and pink roses mingled with sprays of eucalyptus in arrangements at each dining and serving table. Lace runners ran along the tables which were dotted with mercury glass candle votives. At each place setting was a lovely english china dinner plate that the british wedding planner had supplied for the occasion. The “naked” lightly iced but beautiful five layered cake sat on the serving table as a focal point. It was decked with more sprays of flowers that matched the bridal bouquets.
A string quartet played a collection of classical and contemporary wedding music including Pacabel’s Canon as the guests arrived. My own brother played an oboe solo entitled Gabriel’s Oboe. The mood was perfectly romantic and as the guests arrived they shook off rain droplets and left umbrellas at the door. It was apparent that a little rain was not going to damper this beautiful wedding. Everyone seemed happy and not at all upset by the weather.
I had prepared myself with kleenex tucked away in my purse because most women cry at weddings. I thought I would get emotional on this day, especially because my nephew was the first in our family of four grandchildren to get married. I watched as my brother’s handsome son stationed himself beside his pastor before the crowd that was gathered. With a beaming smile he beheld his beautiful bride as she linked arms with her father. She trailed behind her bridesmaids who were dressed in seafoam green gowns and walked down the aisle towards the makeshift altar. She was radiant in her sleeveless white gown with sweetheart neckline. It was embellished with lace appliques and beading on the skirt, vail and train. She wore her pretty long blonde hair down around her shoulders. It fell in curls and was pinned up in the back with white satin roses that were attached to her vail.
The pastor gave a stirring message about marriage which encouraged all those present to reconsider their own wedding vows and dedication to Christ. It is true like he said, that many today don’t make their marriage the focus but focus too much instead on the wedding itself. As the couple exchanged vows and rings, I noticed the bride’s and groom’s mothers get emotional. The groom’s grandmother teared up because she had longed for this day. She had hoped that her own husband would have lived to see their grandchildren get married. I was touched but remained fairly emotionless. My two children attended the wedding. My son was a groomsman. My niece was a bridesmaid. My daughter sat beside us and took pictures. With all my family around me, my heart was warmed but I was not emotional.
It bothered me following the ceremony that my emotions had not been more stirred. Why didn’t I shed a tear? Perhaps it was because only the previous week there had been a mass shooting in Las Vegas, the biggest one in US history. I have gotten used to seeing horrible acts of violence from terrorist attacks or sniper shooters spread across the television screen in recent years. There have been dangerous hurricanes and pictures of suffering people almost every week on the news only in the last several months. It is numbing to the senses to see such carnage and violence repeatedly. Our emotional well-beings are not meant to handle and process that kind of information on a regular basis.
There is a lot that is ugly and vile in the world in which we live. We were made to behold or meditate on what is true, noble, or lovely. Philippians 4:8
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take away our breath -George Carlin. This wedding was one of those moments for me. It gave me a chance to meditate on something beautiful and refreshing to my heart and soul.
Seeing two young people in love with wonderment in their eyes and enthusiasm for their lives ahead gives me hope. There are good people who follow Christ in this world. God has called them to a mission to make their world a better place and to share His love with all they meet. I pray for their courage to face this world and to continue to be a beacon of light in the darkness.
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