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Dorothy Copus Brush Weddings are great for The past, the present and the future all clamored
for my attention on the first weekend in August. From 1:30 Friday
afternoon when our plane touched down in Baltimore until Sunday
afternoon at 4:30 when we departed, old memories were revived
as new memories were being made. We had flown to Maryland for our granddaughter's
wedding as had our three sons, two daughters-in-law and our 1-year-old
grandson. Our Navy grandson drove in from Virginia with his wife
and our two great-grandsons, ages 4 years and 5 months. The Brush
bunch numbered an even dozen. Today weddings have become big business and
the resort where we all stayed had been chosen by the soon-to-be-wed
couple because it was near the airport and their home. A recent
Southern Living article mentioned this resort as one of the best
specializing in weddings. The place abounded with wedding parties and
guests. It is indeed a beautiful location with lovely landscaping,
a golf course and swimming pools. Hundreds of black-eyed Susans,
the state flower, were in full bloom along the entrance drive.
But for our family the bonus was being together, if only for
a short time. The father of the bride, our number three
son, divorced the mother of the bride several years ago, but
she has remained close to us. That marriage, 28 years ago, welcomed
her as the first Catholic to join our family. Now the daughter
of that union had chosen a young man of the Jewish faith to be
her husband. Our family is diverse. Leading up to the Saturday night wedding,
every minute was spent enjoying being together. At the appointed
time the ceremony began, with the entrance of the wedding attendants.
As I watched the younger sister of the bride come down the aisle
as the maid of honor so many memories stirred. Last came the beautiful bride, escorted by
her mother on one side and her father on the other. We had watched
these two girls grow from babies and on through all the stages
of life until they became adults. That poignant song from Fiddler on the Roof
fluttered around in my head. I remembered snatches of the words
from "Sunrise, Sunset" - "Wasn't it yesterday
they were small? I don't remember growing older. When did they?" The final lines of that song expressed what
I was feeling: As this couple spoke their vows they were
filled with happiness, but Jennifer and David had faced their
season of tears and uncertainties just a year ago. They met in college where their friendship
deepened into love. After graduation they both began their careers
in the Baltimore area. One year ago in August they were engaged
and in September it was discovered David had a rare cancer which
had to be removed. He undergoes tests every three months to be
sure all is well. At the wedding reception David stood before
the many friends and relatives and though choked with emotion
expressed his appreciation for their presence. He told how his
life had changed because of the life-threatening illness. He
said that at age 26 he had not expected to be facing death. Struggling
to hold back tears he beckoned to Jennifer to join him and said
he would never have made it without her. As they embraced there
were few, if any, dry eyes as the guests rose and applauded. At the end of the wedding ceremony David had
followed the ancient custom of stomping on the goblet and breaking
the glass. One explanation of this custom says the shattered
glass reminds us of how fragile life is. This couple knows how
true that is. Short though the weekend was, it was rich with past memories, filled with joy for the present and ended with hope for the future. |