And Now They Are One

Well, they pulled it off. My son and my New Daughter (that "in-law" stuff seems like a pretty impersonal way to talk about the love of my child's life) have joined hands and become husband and wife. And I'm here to tell you that their wedding was absolutely, positively the most beautiful event in the history of the world.

The plan was really amazing. The whole thing was held outdoors on the grounds surrounding the country home of their friend, Timmy. There was a "chapel" set up with bales of hay making up the pews and an arch beautifully decorated to form the altar. On the other side of the house there was a giant tent, decorated as elegantly as any banquet hall, to house the reception. There were neat signs, hand-painted on driftwood, and other clever details everywhere, all perfectly designed to make the wedding uniquely theirs.

OK, if you want to be technical about it, I'll admit that there were a few unexpected hitches in the celebration. Some elements did not come off exactly as planned. There were a few bumps in the road, a little sand in the peanut butter.

Or to be blunt, just about everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.

To hit a just few highlights, the wedding day turned out to be one of the coldest October days in the history of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Still, we were all thankful that at least the sun was shining - until about an hour before the ceremony, when a bank of clouds black enough to intimidate the Wicked Witch of the West rolled in. We were looking up at those clouds and congratulating ourselves that at least it was not raining, when it began to drizzle.

Then, just as we were getting ready to start the ceremony, I heard someone nearby say, "Well at least it's not raining all that hard!" A moment later, the wind kicked up to gale force and the rain turned into sleet. And after that... well, I think you get the picture.

But as I sat there on my bale of hay in the front row of the wedding ceremony, sleet mingling with my tears of absolute happiness, I realized that I was as proud of those two kids as it is possible to be. It was clear that my son and my New Daughter had found their way past the little dents and dings in their party plans and made it to that special place reserved for lovers and other lunatics. They were looking into each other's eyes and grinning, safe and warm in a glowing bubble of joy that kept all the imperfections of the world around them at bay.

And later, as they danced under the tent and hugged each other and their friends; as Shannon, wearing a sweatshirt to cover her bare shoulders, grinned and showed off the tar-black halo of mud on the hem of her wedding dress; as Pat made sure everyone saw the cowboy boots he was wearing with his tuxedo; as Kid Rock's voice sang "... sweet home Alabama, all summer long!" through the PA speakers while frost formed on the speaker poles, that glow was not only still there, it was shining more brightly each time one of them caught the other's eye.

So to be completely accurate, I guess I would have to say that the wedding was not perfect. It was way, way, WAY better than that!

Copyright © 2009, Michael Ball

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