Week 15: Celebrating Love
A wedding is a beautiful opportunity to reflect…
Each Sunday, my wife and I prepare, cook and eat a meal together — intentionally. Every Friday, I’ll be sharing our experience here in this space. I want to see the growth that will come in our marriage because of this. I hope you enjoy our story. You can find last week’s post here.
Weddings are beautiful, aren’t they? There’s the ceremony and the tradition. The beautiful dresses and sharp suits. Smiling faces abound. And amid it all are two people who are choosing to display their love and commitment. It’s a stirring event. I’m struck by the significance of the moment at each wedding I attend.
Sarah and I recently went to the wedding of two close friends. It was beautiful. The venue was amazing! The ceremony was held in a room with large windows overlooking a pond and garden area with beautiful brides and walkways. It was magnificent. But even more beautiful was the joining of two lives that we witnessed.
It encouraged me to reflect on my own wedding day. Of course, it’s a day I will never forget. But it never hurts to remind myself of the commitment I made that day. To reflect on my love for my wife with renewed vigor. To look at her the same way I did when she walked down the aisle.
The date of this particular wedding was also not lost on me. June 12, 2016. Two years earlier, Sarah and I went on our first date. I’ve written about our first date before, so I won’t go into all the details here. But this was another opportunity to reflect on the love that Sarah and I have for each other and the incredible journey we’ve shared.
For our friends, that journey was just beginning. In many ways, Sarah and I are still in the early stages of our journey too. That’s so exciting! There are so many experiences and joys to come. Yes, there will be pain and hurt, too.
But we will experience all of it together.
By this point, you may have figured out that we did not cook together on this particular Sunday. The wedding was in Illinois, so we had to drive a few hours to get there. But something I’ve learned in my 23 years of life is that taking time to step back and reflect is not a bad thing. You can’t always be doing.
This Sunday wasn’t about cooking. That has become an integral part of our marriage. We plan, work and create a meal together. We push out distractions and focus on each other.
But this day was about stopping to reflect on where we’ve been and to celebrate where we’re going.
Part of that reflection is realizing that marriage takes place in community. Of course our marriage is about us — Sarah and Aaron. But a wedding is a beautiful reminder that you need the support of family and friends. We reconnected with some friends from college who we hadn’t seen in a long time. It was rejuvenating. It was so special.
We rejoiced in the wedding of two dear friends as we reflected on the many blessings God has given us along our journey.
The sun was setting as Sarah and I walked back to our car. She looked at me and smiled as we started to drive away. The open road stretched out before us, with great memories behind. There’s no one I’d rather travel the journey with.
