I watched his face like a sentinel, him facing the crowd with bravely squared shoulders, his brother close behind, whispering, “Be strong. Stay strong.” Now and then he would close his eyes, take a deep breath, and slowly exhale. His jaw tightened and his heart raced, but he was ready.
I didn’t have to turn to see when she came into view; her entry was mirrored in his features as he completely melted, shoulders visibly heaving in the evening sunlight. Adorned in ivory and satin, her veil trailing behind, she was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen.
I couldn’t take my eyes off him, and he couldn’t wait to take her hands in his as her father joined them with a warm hug and a knowing gaze. The two were clearly so excited they could barely breathe, and we were right there with them.
Being the mother of the groom I had resisted the urge to bring my camera with me for the ceremony, but the whole time I sat there thinking, I have to save this. I have to freeze it for later. I just have to.
I soaked in every word and expression, every smile and every breeze that floated past and set the brightly-hued cloths above our heads to dancing like balloons held fast by ribbons. I longed to still time and savor it all.
The evening continued with stillness and prayers, with gold rings and laughter, with an impassioned kiss and the promise of forever. Then came dancing and dining and gratitude spoken amidst photo flashes, family gathered with friends and all wishing the best God has to offer the two-become-one.
And me, I smiled with my soft mama heart and wished them this day in a time capsule for the healing of any sadness that might ever befall.
And all that remembering has me thinking. I don’t always have a camera, but I always have words.
However I choose to weave them, wherever I choose to share them, words are always right there waiting to describe those precious moments, to let me stop time long enough to smell the wildflowers and watch the wildly-colored cloths flap in the wind and see a groom openly weep with adoration and joy at the sight of his bride.
Words weight the memories so they don’t fly away.
So I word it, this present wrapped in earth tones and silk, and I hold it out to my sweet boy and his beautiful girl with a prayer that they always remember.
May we never forget the magic of those moments, never lose the delirious delight that broke the dam and let the tears flow in the beauty of it all as we witnessed an event that will only happen once. May we hold it close enough to savor it over and over because what we witnessed was a miracle. And who doesn’t want to live a miracle again?
This might be my favorite thing you ever wrote — and that’s saying a lot since I love your writing — because of what you said about words. It’s also a very touching account of all that a wedding represents.
Thank you, Karen. That means a lot to me, my friend.
Your words opened a chair for me, right in an aisle seat. What an amazing day for each of you! <3
That is a high compliment, m’love. Thank you! And yes, it was truly amazing. It still is, in the folds of my memory.
“Words weight the memories so they don’t fly away.”
Very interesting statement. It reminds me of this idea I learned from C.S. Lewis & George MacDonald: Words are too abstract (you might say light, or unweighted) for the concrete meanings they represent. MacDonald referred to spirit, truth, and speech as being comparable to Lady Una, the Red Cross Knight, and speech as the little dwarf that lags behind with the Lady’s bag of needments. The above story captured a moment of grace, humility, and beauty. Things like beauty and grace, justice and truth are abstractions here on earth, just as words are mere symbols for the concrete meanings they represent. Yet heaven is a place where Beauty, Justice, and Truth become not only concrete, but they become a Person. I think there is something of heaven in every wedding, and every wedding bed. The microcosm of God’s relationship to his church is played out in the pageantry of every wedding, and the microcosm of heaven is found in the oneness of every bride and groom. I believe it is important to remember “the magic of these moments,” because they are prophetic, and they speak to the deepest hope of our hopes.
Great blog :).
Wow…great comment! Thank you so much, Jerimy. The very mention of those authors sets my heart to dancing, although I consider myself unworthy to sharpen their pencils. 😉 I completely agree with your thoughts on the way a wedding perfectly depicts God’s love for His children and Christ and His bride. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about how great His love is for us–and yes, we must freeze those moments for the keeping as He keeps us in the shadow of His wing moment by moment. Bless you for sharing your heart here.
Well you might be in luck, Lewis did all his writing with a dip pen :).
by all, I mean, he seriously wrote ALL of his books with a dip pen!
That boggles the mind. We have no idea how easy we have it as writers today. 🙂
That is so beautiful. Your words put me right there! I can’t imagine those emotions being mine one day with my boys. Blessed!! Thank you for sharing.
You are so welcome, Amber. Thank you! I’m sure those moments with your boys will be precious. Love you, girl.