It's almost time to get married

I Corinthians 13:3-8
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
Love never dies.

Maggie has found her Romeo and she is going to marry him this Saturday. Everything is almost in place. The perfect dress was bought last winter. Details and colors and planning and dreaming are all about to come into fruition. It will be one gloriously beautiful day. No matter what the weather looks like. 

On October 27 at five in the afternoon, Maggie and Romeo will walk down an aisle and commit to love, honor and cherish, for as long as they both shall live. Forsaking all others...because of their love for each other. And whatever life will bring, they will face it together. Because that's what families do, even brand new ones. 

Maggie and Romeo have a legacy of long marriages on both sides of their families. The numbers are in the hundreds of years if you combine great grandparents, grandparents and parents. And while none of those marriages were perfect, they all stood the test of time. There are lessons to learn from each.  

Years ago I remember finding some letters tied in a ribbon at Mom and Dad's house. When I showed them to Mom she said they were letters Dad had written to her when they were young. I wanted to read them but I was shocked when she said, "NO!" She was serious. And she took them from me. She was really serious. I remember seeing them another time with her reaction being exactly the same. Under no circumstance was she going to let me read them. 

I've never forgotten what her reaction was. I've thought about it a lot. I've even looked for them since she's been gone. So far, no luck. I guess its possible she disposed of them before she died. I'm not sure I could read them even if I ever find them. Because there are secrets between couples. Hopes and dreams and things talked about that no one else knows. It's as it should be. Even if it was just gushy love letters between Frank and Billie June, she wanted them to remain private. I understand it. So as a lesson to you Maggie and Romeo, remember to keep your secrets to yourselves.  

Love never gives up. 

So take that to heart every day and never ever give up fighting to make your marriage better. Never quit when it gets difficult. There will always be ups and downs, but remember to always choose each other over and over again. I know Mom and Dad told that to each other, because I DID see those words written in a greeting card by each of them to the other. It meant something to me that they wanted each other to know that. Because as their child, I saw the hard times first hand. And knowing that they lived those hard times and still knew they would choose each other.....well it always stuck with me. 

Love never dies.

This will be our first wedding without Grandma and Carrie; and we will miss them like crazy. And while I want this post to be about the wedding of Maggie and Romeo, we can't "unsee" that they won't be there. It's been a tough year. This time last year Maggie and Romeo weren't engaged and Grandma and Carrie were with us and we couldn't see the road ahead. We were blissfully ignorant of what was to come. But here we are moving forward as a family because it's just as it should be, even with heavy hearts. Mom and Carrie would want Maggie and Romeo to have the most unforgettable day. 

Love cares more for others than for self.

As a family we have witnessed sacrifices made for loved ones. The older ones who came before us taught us well. So make sacrifices for each other. Sometimes they won't be equal sacrifices, but that won't go unnoticed. It will be worth it in the end when you look back on your own legacy the two of you will pass down to your kids. And you can Impart your wisdom to your family about the life you made together. That time will be here almost before you can imagine it.  

So on Saturday, surrounded by family and friends, Maggie and Romeo will become a family, and they will begin another part of the story of their lives. Their wedding day will always be the beginning of something wonderful. Something sacred and special and treasured. And many years from now, they can recount the beautiful day they got married and what it meant to commit their lives to each other.

God bless you all the days of your long, healthy, prosperous, fun, unforgettably wonderful life together.

I can't wait to see what happens next...

Much love from me.