By Barb Arland-Fye
Editor
Gordon, the bride’s father, spoke movingly to the guests at the wedding dinner for his daughter Erin and her husband Blake, thanking everyone for their presence, especially the guests who traveled long distances to celebrate. My husband Steve and I were among them.
Two of my three brothers, Pat and Brian, live in Arizona, where the wedding took place, and the third brother, Tim, lives in the Twin Cities. I don’t see them as often as I would like.
Steve and I committed to attending the wedding of our nephew Blake and his beloved Erin knowing that we would have to say “no” to other activities and arrange for substitutes for our parish responsibilities the weekend before Thanksgiving.
Flying is among my least favorite activities but I set aside my fears and don’t regret it, even though this time the pressure on my ears during ascent and descent required a trip to the doctor’s office after returning home.
The night before the wedding, we got together with Erin and Blake’s family and friends. For me, it was a family reunion in the best sense of that phrase. We immersed ourselves in conversation, laughter, stories and memories. I made new family connections with Erin, whom I met for the first time in person (we are Facebook friends) and some of her family members.
Erin and Blake chose to have an outdoor wedding, to be followed a week later by a sacramental marriage in the Catholic Church with their immediate family members in attendance. The officiant at their outdoor wedding gave an inspiring, eloquent speech about the couple he knows as close friends. This golden thread expanded my appreciation for the tapestry of the Arland family.
During the reception that followed, we witnessed a sunset that illuminated the sky in warm shades of yellow, pink and red. I marveled at the splendor of God’s creation from the rooftop of a hotel in Scottsdale.
We enjoyed an elegant dinner but even more so the sense of family that such a joyous event can nurture. Humor and fun enriched the experience. My brothers have created “the chair” tradition, in which they hoist the groom (son, nephew or son-in-law) to sit in a “chair” that they form with their arms and the back of their necks. The groom uses their necks for support. Tim, Pat and Brian allowed me to join the tradition this year to create Blake’s chair of honor. Then they turned the tables on me and the four of them sat me in my “chair.” I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in a long time.
This celebration of family togetherness caused me to reflect on the bonds my brothers and I have forged over the decades, a tribute to the love of our parents, Ray and Mary, who were not able to attend the wedding. Our Catholic faith laid the foundation for the love they instilled in us.
Sunday morning, after the wedding, Steve and I prayed Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours. It was the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, and the reading from Ephesians (4:15-16) resonated with me:
“Let us profess the truth in love and grow to the full maturity of Christ the head. Through him the whole body grows, and with the proper functioning of the members joined firmly together by each supporting ligament, builds itself up in love.”
Being present to one another reinforced the body’s growth.
(Contact Editor Barb Arland-Fye at arland-fye@davenportdiocese.org)
