and they are wed

My beautiful niece, Amy married the love of her life, Ron, this afternoon. It was beautiful ceremony, surrounded by those who love both of them, at their home in Spencer, Ohio.

I have to be totally honest here . . . Amy holds a special place in my heart. She always has and always will. Amy is one of my older sister's youngest daughter. There are times when I can still see her, in mind's eye, as a little girl. The cute little red-head with a load of curls and joyous laughter. I remember taking her Cedar Point and having her do cart-wheels and hand-stands all around the park . . . in fact someone asked us if she was part of the entertainment!

Last summer, in fact, she was doing cart-wheels and hand-stands in my back yard. Still with the red curls bouncing and her laughter bubbling over.

In any event today is the day that Amy was wed. They wrote their own vows and shared their love for each other with each other and all of us who were blessed to witness the ceremony. Now, given the description above, you may think that Amy is still a child. However, she will be 37 in two weeks. Her husband, Ron, just turned 50. It was each of their first marriage. They have both been in other relationships (which is a good thing or everyone would have thought them odd). And, they both have children from those relationships.

However, to see them with each other and especially today, as they joined hands and expressed their love and joy in each other, accepting and recognizing the truth of their foibles and faults and announcing their intentions to love each other forever and always, it was easy to see why they both waited and knew that someday they would meet, recognize and love their soulmates.

Congratulations! I love you both because you are special people. God bless you and keep you safe and cherished together for many years.

p.s. And while I didn't need to wear my grey shawl at all during the day (the temps hovered at around 80 degrees, this evening after the wedding and party, some of the members of my family and friends, came to my home and as the evening progressed and cooled down, I was glad to have the shawl to toss casually over my shoulders.