The words spoken by a seminary professor were in response to hearing the engagement news for Stephen and I a few years ago. We smiled because of course we were in love and we were infatuated with love as well. And with each other.
"I like love."
Yes, I like love too and I hear those words when I'm with couples and families and children who are in the midst of life and love. Stephen and I are at a mere 10 months of marriage (just over a month of actually being in the same place together) and we still very much "like love."
We took our time in planning the wedding and dreaming about what the day and our marriage would look like. Full of love of course. We dreamed big and then scaled down. We reveled in the kind wishes of family and friends. We smiled a lot. We pictured ourselves as a couple growing old together.
In the midst of the planning and the long distance and the worries, I would remember words spoken to me by a colleague and friend when I was interning in Milwaukee. As the vicar (fancy word for intern) I was invited to assist at the blessing of a marriage for Seth and Art.
Seth and Art - two people who just exude life and love and laughs. Two people madly in love. Two people committed to one another. Seth who introduced himself to me very early on and invited me to join in the (non-existent) liturgical dance group at the church. I knew right from the start I wanted to be a part of their day.
It had just been about a month since I began serving and living among the people of Lake Park Lutheran and I was quite humbled and honored to be a part of their special day of love. As we were gathering on the day of the wedding, Pr. David said to me,
"Now, Kim, when you are a pastor and presiding at a wedding and the bride and the bride's mother are stressed to the max and everything has to be perfect and the bride wants to make sure the day is the most perfect day, you remember Seth and Art. You remember how much they had to work for their love. You remember."
And remember I do. For just as much as I like love, I like love for all people. All.
No comments:
Post a Comment