One very important aspect of our wedding has been having our families attend. Last year, when my (Danielle) grandmother was very ill, I had a fear that Brise and I would need to get married in the hospital just so Brise could attend. Fortunately, my grandmother recovered and, God willing, she will be able to attend the wedding.
However, yesterday, Brise's grandfather passed away. I was fortunate enough to be able to meet Brise's grandfather, and he was most certainly a wonderful man, something made even more obvious by the lovely family of which he was the patriarch. Brise's grandparents were married for over 60 years and the love they showed one another was inspiring. Although Brise and I live far away from the rest of his grieving family, they are all in our thoughts and prayers.
Another bit of bad news is that another of Brise's relatives, Malcolm, suffered a bad injury while on vacation. After being air lifted to a hospital in Honolulu and spending a couple of weeks there, Malcolm is now recovering in a hospital in Florida. We had hoped Malcolm would officiate our wedding, as he is a retired Episcopalian Reverend. Unfortunately, he is doing better, but will not be well enough to attend our ceremony.
While we lament the suffering and loss in our families, we understand that this world is not permanent and everything is not always awesome. Tragedy happens and pulls us out of whatever comfort zone we're in, even pulling me out of a wedding planning bubble. However, even when things are less than perfect, we are glad to have our families and their love and comfort, even if we are not always near.
