7

It’s been seven years. Our marriage was shrouded by grief. It has been strengthened by a temporal reality. The accident happened only three weeks before our wedding and the night before Jenn’s graduation. In the midst of the darkness I thought we would never again be able to celebrate anything good in life. We were encouraged to keep our wedding date. It was a good day. It was a sad day. The maid of honor was missing and in her place a rose carried by her brother. Neither of us remembers much of that day. I remember tears and friends. We were together reciting our vows only a few feet from where we had stood weeks earlier saying our last goodbyes. This was supposed to be our day, a day to celebrate with friends and family who had prepared us for the journey we were about to embark. Life got in the way of our plans and we learned a lesson we were not prepared for and we will never be prepared to learn that lesson. We are grateful for the journey and we are blessed to have found many wonderful friends. I am most grateful for a wife who is committed to following the way of Christ, whatever that might look like and wherever that might lead us.