Down the Aisle

 Brenda was my maid of honor and I her matron of honor. From the day of curtain veils and dress up clothes for bridal gowns we traveled twenty-three years together to our own weddings.

Could it possibly be forty years since we walked the aisle at Painter Creek Church? I did not make the distance, but Brenda and Sparky despite the trials of their marriage and children have made it to forty years. I'm proud of them. Life was difficult yet they made the decision to stand by one another and make it work. They held each other through the rough times and battled out a few others.

My sister Peg will be married fifty years in November. I was thirteen when I put on the royal blue bridesmaid's dress. It was the prettiest dress I'd ever had. And, blue was my favorite color. So many years and miles have happened since.

Most people I know from Neff Road stayed together through thick and thin. Farm living is exhausting, stressful and many times tragic, yet these people made a commitment to face the future together and did it in great style. Years ago I watched my parents walk hand in hand wherever they went, the flame never extinguished. Margaret and Hollie (Brenda's parents) would sit close with Margaret nudging Hollie every time he said something silly. Doris and Victor sat on the porch daily delighting in one anothers company. They were the models for the rest of us.

We need to mark those passing decades, the recognition of the successful marriage, the binding of lifetime friend to friend. For the celebration of these couples is worthy of note. A note that has touched me and those around them.

Congratulations, Brenda and Sparky. God bless.