Jude

March 17, 1987. Dread. Separation. Sorrow. The journey ends. The vows are fulfilled. The marriage is over—“till death do us part.” Hearts are empty. A once-beautiful bride now gone; the groom in grief. The children mourning.

June 20, 1987. Long-planned for. Joy. Happiness. Expectation. Fulfillment. The journey begins. The vows are taken. Rings are exchanged. The marriage commences. Hearts are full. A beautiful bride and a beaming groom, celebrated. Tears of gladness. Yet, some sadness, too.

How does one weather these emotional ebbs and flows in life? She completed college and moved home to plan her wedding, just as her mother’s cancer was returning with a vengeance. While her Mum battled that dread disease, the young woman kept house for her father and younger brother, who was still a high school student, balancing her own job and her long-distance engagement; her fiancé was in his final semester and they would both walk at graduation in May.

She and her mother made wedding plans as best as they could, not knowing if Mum would be there or not, praying that she would, but the cancer was progressing very rapidly. It was life-training for her, laying a foundation for the marriage and ministry that she would carry on with her husband for more than thirty years. Love, service, compassion, humor. Prayer. Submission to God. Repentance. Faith. “But to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”