I always cry at weddings. I cry…not because I’m overcome
with joy for the couple saying their vows…I cry…because I’m afraid the pair
doesn’t know what they’re getting into.
I admit I’m a cynic when it comes to love. I’ve been quite
unlucky in the area of everlasting affection. I’m not good at relationships. I
don’t like having to consider other people’s needs before my own. And
apparently other people don’t like to consider my needs ahead of theirs
either.
I often find an excuse not to attend weddings. I can conjure
up a migraine, a belly-ache, or a bout of the flu in no time at all. I call and
decline…cough, cough, sniffle, snort…and wish the bride and groom the very
best. I might even send a gift. But I rarely attend a wedding. I don’t like to
cry.
Last weekend, however, I happily broke my rule about not
attending weddings. I went to a marriage ceremony at St. Mary’s Catholic Church
so I could witness the joining of my friends in holy matrimony.
I cried, of course. But this time, tears rolled down my
cheeks because I was sure the couple knew exactly
what they were getting into.
The bride is the mother of my daughter-in-law. The groom is
someone I’ve known since he was a 20 year old kid selling life insurance
door-to-door. Carla and Craig…C&C.
The C&C stands for Carla & Craig, but it could also
stand for Committed & Compassionate, Courageous & Caring…or any number
of C&C words that describe love at its very best.
You see…Carla & Craig have both done this before. This
is the second marriage for each of them. They both have children and
grandchildren. They both have spouses who died from cancer within the last
three years.
Both Carla and Craig loved their first spouses dearly and
faithfully. They cared for them and helped them during their long, critical
illnesses. Carla’s husband fought cancer for nine years; Craig’s wife struggled
with it for three. Their loved ones died
within a year of each other and left Carla & Craig lonely and heart-broken.
When they met each other last year, Carla & Craig
realized that they could love again…and that they did, in fact, love each
other. Their sad expressions of grief were replaced with smiles and the glow of
happiness.
And everyone around them, who loved them, and had watched as
they waged a battle against cancer with their spouses…well, we all smiled and
glowed with happiness, too.
So, yes, last Saturday, I went to a wedding and…I cried. The
tears welled as Carla’s 19 year old son walked her down the aisle of the church.
They slid down my cheek as C&C promised to love one another for richer or
poorer.
And this time, when the couple vowed to love each other in sickness and in health, I smiled because I
knew for sure that not only did they both know exactly what they were getting
into…I knew they had already been vetted for the job.
Carla and Craig have lightened my burden of cynicism and
made me believe in the power of love again.
Peggy Browning
Link to All You Need is Love sung in 156 different countries.
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