Wedding

"I, Kim, take you, Mike..." Kim's voice rang out strong and sure as she recited her vows. No microphones were available for the bride and groom, but her voice could be heard in the farthest reaches of the sanctuary. No doubts, no fears, but absolute certainty that this was the man God ordained to be her husband.

The first memory I have of Kim, like many of the other young ladies I count as friends, is of her as a third grader, long blonde hair in pig tails, running with abandon around the Awana circle in our church gym. No matter what she was doing, Kim gave it her all. She would struggle through one of the memory verses - squeaking by with the two helps we allowed - and then say, "No wait - I can do it better

And she would.

What a joy to be able to celebrate her marriage to a wonderful man. The sparklers that were used to shower the couple as they left the church and as wedding favors didn't shine nearly as brightly as Kim's eyes.

*******

The drive up and back wasn't nearly as onerous as I was expecting, although it was just over 350 miles round trip. While I had the best night's sleep I've had in months at the motel last night, I still woke up at 5:15...and decided to go ahead and get on the road home. Tomah is in the middle of cranberry bog country, and is prone to early morning fog in the low lying areas. This is my view across the parking lot as I tossed the overnight bag in the car:




Though I hadn't planned it that way, I did get back to town in time to go to church, albeit a bit disheveled and travel worn. I had the car washed on the way home from church; I think it's time for a soak in the tub for me (and a chance to finish the book I started between arriving in Tomah and the wedding - how lovely to have had three hours to sit and read!).