Darlings

more to come

time: which is to be master - that's all

Remember two days ago when I posted that The Bride had eighteen more sleeps?

Well, now she has three more sleeps.  We experienced a wrinkle.

The Attendants, The Relatives and The Supporters of bridal-like things are arriving at airports.
Why, there are even flowers on my kitchen counter.

And speaking of time, here is The Bride pictured about ten years ago, at Easter, with her little sister.  NOT twenty five years ago.  Can't be.

Don't blink, my friends.

eighteen more sleeps

It seems impossible, but we are almost there.

Spring has finally sprung on Vancouver Island.  We've been out in the brutally storm damaged yard, burning and raking.  Here's the upside of an April wedding.  The post winter garden scraping, raking, weeding, cutting, the window washing and the assessment of useless bikes and the collecting and recycling of cracked plastic gardening pots and the trip to the dump...all get done before the weather really gets nice.   

I can drag all that stuff out until the middle of July sometimes.  

The thing I love most about gardening is that the instant the kids see me grabbing garden gloves and clippers they say, "are you GARDENING??  I'm coming to help!!"  They actually help but little, but I love having them ask me all the questions and ride their bikes around me.  

"Why don't we have snowdrops?" 

"Why did you put that plant there?"

"What is an edger?" 

"When can we make a milkshake to have outside?"

One of the ways that I know I haven't been outside enough is when all the indoor questions start to annoy me.  I think when I'm outside I could field questions from dawn to dusk.  It helps me remember that all those questions are the flowers and not the weeds.  

That's a nice reminder, isn't it?  Be outside. 

So.  My oldest daughter gets married in eighteen more sleeps.   

She is so pretty.  So GLOW-Y.  So ready. 

And why am I weepy?  Dang.  Tears on the keyboard AGAIN.  Happy tears, overcome tears.  

But why?  Gratitude.  For her life that has been, is now, and will be.  For the little girl that led me down a path that changed my life.  For all she taught me.  For the faith she instilled in me.  

"And a little child shall lead them."  And a little child did.  And now she gets married. 

Don't blink, my friends.  Don't blink and miss the precious years that fly like minutes. 

More than my poor heart can hold. 

aflutter with bride like things (NOT)

So the bride, who in most circumstances, would be doing a lot of bride like things right now, like - I don't know what.  Shopping for shoes, making hair appointments...

is doing nothing of the sort.  She's directing a play that opens next week.  If you live near me, you can come, too.  I, personally am going to opening night with my family.

So in some cases, pre-wedding busy-ness looks more like bossing actors around.

Directorzilla.  I'm guessing.

But it keeps the jitters away...

You can get your tickets HERE.  

Almost exactly two years ago...

I started this blog.  I kept it bookmarked, knowing there was another daughter of marriageable age.  Well.  It's a good thing I did.

She gets married April 22nd to a man that we love and have every confidence in their happiness.

She glows.

Alice has suffered much in her life, and more than anything, she deserves to rest in the deep peace of love and being loved.

Just six years ago,  I wrote this, with her permission.  She has come so far.  All the work she has done, all the praying and fasting has not been in vain.

All that worrying, Lord.  Was in vain.  

Love

This short, vibrant, delightful, emotional chapter is over.  I'll just put a bookmark here, and come back to it if the need arises in the future.  For the moment.  

For the moment.  

I feel like I should crash and burn, now.  But there is too much life to live, too much to do, too much loving and laughing and writing.  I haven't the time.  

Here are just a few favourite moments of the last five months.

Lucy and Dad.  September 12th, 2015

Mary and Dad.

May 2nd, 2015

Breann comes home healthy, July 20, 2015

A celebration of my Mom's life...me and Dad.  May 24th, 2015

Celebrating Mom.  July 17th, 2015

Mom's wedding gift to Mary and Francis, flowers from her garden.  

.Celebrating love, past, present, future.  Another beautiful bride. October 24th, 1959.

The Wedding in Words

Haaaaaaaaaaaah.  Siiiiiiiiiigh. 

The wedding was exquisite.  Beautiful, reverent, perfect.

The bride was beautiful.  The groom was handsome.

All that a wedding should be.

The reception was wonderful, too.

The hall was so lovely - linen, lace, roses, tulle, lights and candles.  The work party turned a plain hall into something like the hall of a great manor.  Talented folks.  

Food and drink service was exception and yummy, staff was courteous and professional.  

And so many hands, and so many helpers.  Family and friends, in this small way, laid down their lives for us.  For the newlyweds. They took time out of their busy schedules, out of other things they could have been doing; working, playing - all the things.  Yesterday, they laid down their lives for Lucy and Ian.  Nothing was too much to ask.

Thank you all.  On behalf of Ian and Lucy, and behalf of the Landry family, we are overwhelmed with gratitude.  

All the work, all the sacrifice, are simply small reflections of marriage.  This is what we do.  Laying down our lives, in one form or another is what we do as parents, spouses: as a community.  

We come together.

My life for yours.

Ian and Lucy, may God bless you richly, and may we continue to offer you our love and support throughout the years to come.  Our lives for each other, our lives for yours, your lives for each other.  

My life for yours.  Love lived.  An exchange of persons.

We love you both.

Snapshots coming when the bride and groom give us leave...