This is a story about a spring wedding, yes. But it’s also a story about life.
This month, my son and his wife are celebrating their two year wedding anniversary. They were married in March of 2021, on the spring equinox, a time of new beginnings, a time of new life. It was also right in the middle of one of the world’s worst pandemics, spawning, among other things, unprecedented global economic shutdowns and lockdowns. Businesses, schools, sporting events, large gatherings, graduations, funerals, and weddings were all affected.
Life is like that sometimes.
During their 2020 engagement period, our young couple was busy planning their dream wedding. Surely the COVID-19 restrictions would be lifted within a year, they thought. So they booked a venue.
The wedding would take place in the spring, near the home of the bride’s family, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The bride and groom would be surrounded by a huge group of their extended families and friends. It was to be hosted among the unique blend of music, flavor, and culture of world-renowned New Orleans. There would be a large bridal party and tons of events leading up to the big day. It was all richly romantic. Perfectly poetic.
But as the year 2020 counted down, the spread of COVID-19 ramped up, and the New Year 2021 began with more restrictions. The wedding venue could not accommodate the large guest list. Hard choices had to be made. The wedding was postponed. They were now looking into booking a winter wedding in December 2021.
Life is like that sometimes.
Dreams are derailed by forces beyond our control. Disappointments abound. Plan A fails. Plan B begins to crumble, and life itself becomes smaller, more isolated, less certain.
The dream wedding continued to unravel, and in the end, it boiled down to a party of 10 people: bride and groom, parents and grandparents, and sister of the bride, plus a violinist.
The wedding took place on the spring equinox of 2021 in a small garden at the Dallas Arboretum. The flowers were in bloom, and the bride floated down stone steps like a princess in a sparkling white gown, steadied by her father’s strong arm. The soft strains of the violin lifted all of us into a place above the brokenness of the world, a place infused with love and beauty, light and new life. Richly romantic. Perfectly poetic.
Life is like that sometimes.
And now as they celebrate two years of marriage, I can see how equipped they are to face life’s many challenges. The pandemic has officially ended, but the world is still not “normal.” There are lingering effects. Yet there is much to be celebrated. Sometimes small is beautiful. Sometimes love looks like sacrifice. Sometimes there is something bigger and more important waiting around the corner.
Life is like that sometimes.
Happy Anniversary, RJ and Natalie! May you have many more wonderful years together. And may your love always rise above your earthly circumstances, as you journey together through life.
My son got married this weekend to the most beautiful girl in the world, a princess actually, who stopped onlookers in their tracks as they witnessed flowers bursting into bloom when she walked by. Heaven itself beamed blessings and grace as my son's heart joined hers, fingers intertwined, lips breathing life into vows that reached the ears of the angels. Music danced to the beat of their hearts, and the promise of forever was sealed with a kiss. My son got married this weekend and I got the most beautiful daughter in the world, and my heart is still bursting.