Family weddings can be so joyful and so crazy! Ask anyone you know about the best and the worst wedding they’ve attended and you know you are set for a ride. What’s important in these stories may not be the dysfunction, or bad behavior that makes you laugh (or scream), but the recall of good times past, and the renewed closeness with old friends and family.
We’ve just been to my husband’s niece’s wedding in St. Augustine, Florida. For my husband who rarely sees his siblings from Florida, this was a much anticipated time together. And, it did not disappoint. We rolled into the bed and breakfast to find that Paul’s 89 year old great aunt had made the trip along with her younger brother and sister. Her poor daughter chauffeured them from south Florida for 3 hours while they bickered and interrupted each other and laughed and absolutely drove her crazy. They didn’t run out of energy. They stayed up late and partied with the best of us.
The outdoor wedding in the courtyard of an old inn on a cold crisp morning had its share of perfection and humor. The wedding party had planned to walk in from the back on the cobblestone street that the city decided to tear up 3 days before the wedding. So, they made it across a blowing blue tarp and through the dirt before elegantly parading down the aisle where moments before the crowds jostled to get the seats in the sun.
The couple was so happy and comfortable they were kissing and joking during the ceremony, yet never taking away from the beauty of event. Perhaps the most touching moment was when the father of the bride thanked 2 of the people who made this day possible – the young man whose donated heart made it possible for Tom to see his daughter married and the heart she received 2 years later that brought her to this wonderful day.
When we get bogged down in the everyday irritations of ordinary things, it is nice to remember what’s important. And, that the relationships that are created as part of everyday life are rich and rewarding in themselves.