They did it! (May 31st)

(May 31, Oregon Cascades) -- Friday afternoon, the last day in May, Miriam and I arrived in Welches, a hamlet deep in the forest just west of Oregon's Mt. Hood. After a week of unseasonably cool and unsettled weather (funnel clouds in Oregon!!??), the afternoon sun warmed not only the body but the spirit. Shirt-sleeve weather. At least the rehearsal would be remembered for deep blue sky, golden sunlight slanting down through the Douglasfir trees and vine maple and the smiles of people who recognize God's benificence.

Just to make things clear, Mark (our son) is marrying Elena (Ann and Bruce Borquist's daughter.) And on Friday afternoon members of our two clans are beginning to gather at Camp Arrah Wanna to share the event with them and celebrate. Grandpa and Grandmas, aunts and uncles, cousins and unnumbered offspring of the above. And friends too. From Vermont, Florida, Illinois, Texas, California and Washington -- literally from all corners of the continental US. Friday evening after the rehearsal, over 60 people share pizza, stories, a riverside marshmallow roast and amusements afterwards -- a proper start for the celebration.

Saturday morning, rising leisurely for breakfast at 9, we're greeted by a light shower dampening the asphalt parking lot. Congolese wax prints in hues of green and blue brighten the reception tables. And by 10:30 cloud breaks open and sunshine dries the damp. The arbor festooned with local flowers and tropical palm branches. At noon clan and friends swell, clad in Indian saris, Korean kimonos, Philippine barongs, Chinese prints, Indonesian kilts, biker's leathers, Washington clammers' slickers. Mark and Elena's connections to the nations so vividly displayed.

Underneath the early afternoon sun and the red-brown columns of conifers, we heard the expressions of love and commitment, advice to those embarking on marriage, and reminder of the privilege of a lifelong commitment to another. Mark and Elena exchanged vows before God and before the community of extended family and friends. And we (both family and friends) added our own vows to encourage and support them in their commitment to one another. After all, marriage IS more than the private choice of two individuals.

What an afternoon! Mark and Elena (and their siblings and cousins) serving guests. Games on the green. Pictures. Snatched conversations with family, friends and friends newly met. Sending Mark and Elena off to a new life together. Community.

They did it! We heartily approve.