Monday, June 27, 2005

To have and to hold, from this day forward


My sweetie and I went to a wedding this weekend. Ever since I was a little girl, I loved weddings. My parents are wedding photographers, and so I have grown up watching brides glow in their white dresses. Back in the 80's, Pops (my dad) would do the bridal portraits in our living room, and I would help him set up the equipment. There was a huge black roll of paper that would serve as the backdrop. It was 10 foot tall and about 20 feet long, and he'd set a huge board underneath it that the bride would stretch to step on, and usually missed, creating a hole with her heel. I was so proud that I knew how to help him set up the lights, getting everything ready before the bride arrived. They would come in the front door with their hair and makeup done, but in regular clothes, carrying their dresses and veils. They'd go use my bathroom as their changing room, and come out as a bride. I waited with eager anticipation to see each one in their special dress. I never got tired of hearing their excitement as the talked about their Big Day. Now, Momma and Pops are a team, each with their cameras, assisting each other, and I still don't tire of seeing the results of their hard work. It's fun to see people I knew as kids all grown up and walking down the aisle.
Weddings are also a great time to reflect on my marriage, and the covenant we made before God. It's wonderful to see people so in love, and to reflect back on the reasons we walked down the aisle in the first place. Marriage can be difficult, but it is also such a blessing, ordained by the Creator and glorified in the comparison of Christ and the Church. Our perfect example of sacrifice and love.

A couple of Christmas' ago, my sweetie gave me a bracelet that made me squeal with delight. It came in the signature blue-green bag, and now I am tormented with their catalog, since we can never afford another purchase from there again! Anyways, the bracelet had a heart that he engraved with the following reference, Ruth 1:16-17. The verses were read at our wedding, almost 6 years ago.

"Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."

Sweetie, if you are reading my blog, I love you with all of my heart.

posted by Amstaff Mom | 1:30 PM




8 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Awww...my sweetie and I went to a wedding this weekend too, I may have to blog about it now:)

7:01 PM  
Blogger Chad said...

Nice post. I seem to have something in my eye, must be a dust mite or something . . .

8:22 PM  
Blogger Jenny said...

I love picturing you as a child setting up equipment and the brides changing and chattering on about their upcoming weddings.

So sweet.

And that's one of my favorite scriptures, too.

9:53 PM  
Blogger Amstaff Mom said...

FIF- Yes, please blog about it. I would love to hear your perspective of the wedding. Besides, if it's a post about a wedding, then it's got to be good!

LOTP- I don't recall a dust storm coming through our neck of the woods last night, but maybe it did.

Jayleigh- Oh the memories of yesteryear. I love the book of Ruth. I think it's the only book of the Bible that doesn't mention God in it, but I have always loved the story of Boaz and Ruth, and love those verses.

What a softie I am lately.

7:07 AM  
Blogger JLR said...

Well, that's anothing thing we have in common. I've always loved Ruth. I even loved the cheesy 1960s (I think) movie version of it.

12:22 PM  
Blogger Amstaff Mom said...

JLR-

I've never seen that movie, but wouldn't that be so neat if they made a modern version. Hmm, who should be Boaz? Matthew McConaghey? What a great idea! Seeing him coming in from the working hard in the fields? Watch me swoon at the idea.

6:58 AM  
Blogger RR said...

Something in common: my and JLR's mom is a bridal director for a department store chain, so we also grew up in the wedding envirnoment. We didn't get to see the fun pictures part of it, but we did get lots of free samples (you know, all the free stuff--including cake!--that they hand out at bridal shows).

12:17 PM  
Blogger Amstaff Mom said...

What a tangled web we weave RR.
Grew up in wedding families with the same initials and the same love of Clue?

Kindred Spirits.

5:26 PM  

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