Wedding fun

I went to Dallas over the weekend for a wedding.  It was a small family affair with about 30 people present.  An aunt of the bride introduced herself to me and asked what my connection was.  I responded with "I'm an aunt of the groom," and hoped there were no more questions because beyond that it gets kind of complicated.  Greg, the groom, was 6 when I first met him.  His younger siblings were 4, 2 and 2 years away from being born.  They welcomed me into their family and the love they showered on me helped keep me sane as I went through culture shock when I first moved to France.  I've been glad to be Aunt Alice every since even though I don't look like anyone else in the family.  I've baby-sat them, shared Christmas with them and was the only family member around when Heather was in the ICU with a concussion while the rest of the family was in the US.  Those four kids now range in age from 24 to 17; two are now married and the third is engaged to be married next April.  Attending weddings are a big change from playing games on the floor.

I was honored to be a part of Greg and Kari's special day.  One of the memories that I will savor is watching the guys polish their shoes and tie their ties just right.  Shortly after that I got kicked out of the room and told to go visit Grandma.  Evidently they needed some privacy to finish getting ready.

On the way back to the hotel, Karen, the mother of the groom, said the photographer had told her she had never seen such gracious children.  I may be a bit biased but I'd agree that they are great kids who are now great adults.  I enjoyed watching each of their unique personalities come out as they celebrated.  Greg, who says he never dances, sure enjoyed dancing on his wedding day.  The next two danced up a storm with each other but Heather was also gracious enough to dance with the bride's grandpa and other family friends she had just met.  Meanwhile the youngest was over in a corner deep in conversation.  Each of them stayed right in character.  Before the end of the evening the whole wedding party was in the pool - though the two younger brothers were the only one's who bothered to change into their swimsuits.  I think it had something to do with having paid for their own suits. 

Besides the nerves ahead of time and the fun afterward, I will also remember Greg and Kari's heartfelt vows.  They may be young but their words showed they understand that life is uncertain and marriage is hard.  But there was no question that they wanted to go through whatever the future holds together.  Both of them are adventurous and my wish for them is that 60 years from now, by God's grace, they are still going towards the next adventure hand in hand.