And the greatest of these is love.
L-O-V-E. The heart of life.
It’s all we need, according to the four wise men: Paul, John, George, and Ringo.
We have arrived at the culmination of the Forever Love series: The Ceremony. As you can imagine, summing up the biggest day of your life is quite a daunting task. For Leah, this was something she did not want to be rushed. She has asked to have more time to write about the day from her perspective – a request that I want to honor.
I don’t blame Leah for wanting more time. I have struggled with this post myself. How do I give such a profound moment the depth it deserves? From getting ready together in the upper sanctuary room to the emotional minutes leading up to the ceremony. From the special humans who so greatly impacted Mark and Leah’s lives filling the church and witnessing their commitment to the look on the lovebird’s faces when they realized the cake table was empty and they hadn’t had a slice yet. Oh, and how could I forget the straight-out-of Cinderella carriage ride in The Old Market following the reception? I could write an entire book on the day itself.
When Leah’s ready, we’ll post a follow-up that includes her recount of their Forever Love Ceremony. We’ll even FaceTime with Mark for some of his thoughts on the big day (thanks for the recommendation Cynthia)!
Moving forward with Upside Down, we will continue posts twice a week. We will be highlighting Upside Down moments we’ve experienced throughout our lives. We hope that our reflections may inspire you to acknowledge moments as such that you’ve had in your life and would love to hear about them when this happens.
In the meantime, below is what flowed out of me as I spent time reminiscing on Mark and Leah’s Forever Love Ceremony:
At last
The day
Had arrived
Leah and Mark
The 20th of July
Their journey, unique
A situation, rare
In non-tradition
Everything was there
The joy, the gents
The dress, the nerves
The little moments
Every person deserves
Committing forever
As family surrounds
Under God
No truer sound
I take thee Mark
As my Forever Love
In this life
That is more than enough
With hands held tight
Mark said the same
And Forever Loves
They became
Tears filled my eyes
As I watched my sis
Seal the deal
With a joyous kiss
Walking down the aisle
Their faces beamed
For over 30 years
This had been their dream
Finally their turn
Their moment to shine
They’ve trained for this
It was dancing time
The hours passed
We celebrated them
Until it was time
To come to an end
The sun, it set
As the day before
But in my heart
I felt love more.
The Mark and Leah story has blessed my life.
Love knows no boundaries, and by God, what boundaries they have broken. They have shown me that Love Wins. That Love is Louder. That Love Does.
Although their situation is not traditional, it turns out what they really needed had been there all along.
All they needed was love.
Here’s to turning our minds Upside Down.
