Standing in front of the fire place in my parent’s home, Charlie and I stood facing Rev. VanAvery. I know at that moment my life would be changed, a good change. I wanted to remember that moment forever. When he proposed, if you can call it a proposal, he said he wanted us to be old people together. It was not at all romantic for a proposal of marriage.

In attendance were my parents, both of my living grandmothers, his sister, his aunt and uncle and a second aunt. My sister and her husband stood up with us. My brother-in-law had introduced us. It was a blind date three months earlier.

There was a small reception of family and friends after. My cousin, Ken was a sky diver. He and his wife had two weddings that day. He came to our reception she went to her cousins. He jumped into the field behind the house, bringing a gift.

There was a small cake and ice cream, food was brought by a few family and friends. It was a warm beautiful July day. I made the dress I was wearing and one for my sister. Mine was a gentle yellow with daisy print and her dress was the same fabric in orange. There was material left over from my sister’s dress so I made a cute little dress for my five year old niece.

My great-aunt Florence insisted on coming to the reception. She was crippled very badly from rheumatoid arthritis and could barely walk. She insisted on being there for me. She was a godly Christian woman and a very special person in my life. It was in her and through her I first saw the love of Christ.

So many young people I see today concentrate on having a really large wedding. It seems they spend more time planning the wedding than preparing for marriage. I knew my life would change and I was looking forward to that change.

Here we are now 40 years and 3 children later. There will be a family dinner late today at a nice local restaurant. There will be great nieces and nephews there that were not yet born. There mother was only 5 years old that year in her pretty little dress matching her mama’s.

The dress did not survive the years. It would not fit me if it had. I was a 110 pounds back than. I still have the little yellow rose head piece I made. It is dingy with age. We had our portrait taken a few days ago.

Do I sometimes wish I had beautiful big wedding with lots of pictures? Yes, but my simple wedding is a memory that is very precious and dear to my heart. I have only a few snap shorts taken by family members. My Uncle Lewis took the pictures for us. The memories of my parents, grandmothers, great aunt and Charlie’s two aunts and uncle are with us even though they have gone to meet their creator. My brother was not with us that day. He was in the Air Force at the time. He died one month later.

KraftyKatz

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