The Wedding

Oh how I do love weddings.

Today Paul and I and Amy went to Kathy Baker's wedding. Amy went because she was asked to help with serving. The other kids didn't go because they hate going to weddings and funerals, and we don't force them to go if it's someone they don't know well. Which brings up a great idea, holding the next wedding/funeral over their heads as a punishment. "One more demerit at school, young man, and you're going to Matilda's funeral or Johnny and Cheryl's wedding, whichever comes first!"

But weddings are not punishment for me. No, they are rich enjoyment.

Kathy is one of the sweetest people ever. She taught most of our kids in Sunday school at one point, and always did something special with each child during the year--took them out for supper at Red Robin, that sort of thing.

She's the oldest in her family and kept smiling sweetly through the years as her siblings all got married and had lots of little Bakers.

A few years ago she moved to Florida. Last year word started circulating that she had a Man in her life. And he was coming for Christmas. She brought him to church and he seemed to hold his head up high even though we all covertly inspected him to see if he was good enough for Kathy, since Kathy is the sort of person that, when she comes back for a visit, the pastor stops in the middle of his sermon and says joyfully, "Oh! Kathy's here! Welcome home, Kathy!"

Eric seemed nice enough, and soon we heard of their engagement, and all the fluttering little ladies in church nodded to each other and gave him a stamp of approval when they heard that he had told Kathy that they need to get married in Oregon because he can't make all those Bakers travel all the way to Florida. How thoughtful of him!

Today was the wedding. Every detail was beautiful and perfect, from the dressed-up nephews to the roses on the tables that had come from Kathy's dad's cousin Richard's wife Arlene's vast rose garden. And true to Kathy-form, every niece and nephew, from Preston the groomsman down to the babies in the wagon that the little nephews pulled up the aisle, was included in some role.

The brothers and in-laws were dressed up as well, leading a certain grandma to note that she hasn't seen "Bill" that dressed up since his own wedding day going on 20 years ago. And another female was overheard to say that the Bakers are a good-looking bunch, dressed up.

Of course there was more to it than flowers and frills. There was the absolute radiant joy on Kathy's face and the grin on Eric's and the reminder in the meditation that this is only the illustration and the reality is Christ and the Church. And the vows reminded us long-married folk that oh, yeah, oops, we did promise to exercise patience, kindness, and forbearance, didn't we, and it has been wearing thin, especially when we have conversations like this:

Quote of the Day:
Me: You know, there are challenges to getting married young, but there would also be some tough things about getting married at 40.
Paul: FORTY? Kathy's not 40! Let's see, Brent is John's age, and John is ten years younger than me, but I don't know if it's on the 40 side or the 41 side, and then Jeanette is older than Brent and Kathy's older than Jeanette! So she must be a ways into her forties.
[pause while I think un-forbearing thoughts]
Me: You know, you kind of hijacked the conversation there.
Paul: I'm sorry. Yes, you're right, there would be challenges to getting married in your forties.