miracles are in the eye of the beholder.

I was privileged this weekend to photograph a wedding and a vow renewal.    We've all been to weddings, they are sweet, lovey dovey, and emotional.  However, in this day and age with the divorce rate what it is, I think we often do not see weddings as they are intended, the emotional aspect that accompanies 2 people saying they pledge their lives to each other is nowadays, lost on the guests.  It is a social gathering, something we do, we get dressed up and have fun.   While many weddings, are just as God intended them, they are a commitment of lives, i think we as a general population have begun to devalue that.  

And then, we get to see something like I saw this weekend.

I photographed the wedding, it was of course beautiful and heartfelt, even with a sand ceremony so that the kids were involved in the commitment of this couple to create a blended family and spend their lives together.

Then...

There was a vow renewal.  Now, coming into this day, the wedding was what I thought would be the main focus.  and it was, but nothing was more moving that the vow renewal.      The bride for the vow renewal was the mother of the bride for the wedding.   The groom however, is where the story gets interesting.   The groom for the vow renewal, was a very strong man, a man dying of cancer.   A man, whom family was not sure would live long enough to renew his vows.   This man had a great attitude and a great  spirit.  He was full of personality.   It was an honor to be part of this day with them!  

I was moved, because they were facing what we all know as a possiblity when we get married, but that we hope (and trick ourselves into believing) will never happen to us.   You know that whole "for better or worse, in sickness and health" part of the vows.  Well, they were facing "worse" and "sickness" and still pledging their love to each other.   They took their vows seriously.  They were, at this low place in their marriage, standing up in front of family and friends and basically saying, yes, things are bad, but that does not change the way we love each other.   It was sobering to see.  Kind of brought me to my senses.

My favorite shot from that whole day, was when the groom was watching his bride walk down the aisle.  I wasn't there the first time, but I imagine that he was looking at her just as he did when they originally made these sacred vows to each other.

Now, we all hear the stories about wives who leave their husbands when they are sick, or other various tales of betrayal.   This story goes to show you that things don't have to be that way.  That's not the way God intends them.   The miracle in this story to me, is not that this man lived to renew his vows, he could pass soon, or live a long time, but either way, the miracle is that love still exists just as God intends it to.   That if we just open our eyes sometimes, we can see the beauty in this world that God has laid his hands on, even in times of distress.