Sunday, February 7, 2016

A car accident...but the show must go on!

Because life is not already crazy enough... Friday, I drove my oldest to Concord for a Dr's apt and on the way  back, picked up mom and Al who were coming up to pick  up their car from my house. On the way back home, on a practically empty highway, we were involved in a car accident. On scene, mom had a minor panic attack and some initial pain, but was checked out by EMS, deemed "ok" and declined to be taken to the hospital. I had a splitting headache but thought it was just the stress of the incident. I had to get Makenzie home for her drivers ED class she could not miss and I was driving someone else's very expensive car which was very damaged in the wreck. Though the accident was in no way my fault, I still felt and feel very guilty about it as I was driving it. I thought I was fine,  but as time went on through the afternoon, I was hurting more and more. I have a bit of trouble now and then with a shoulder that I had surgery on a couple of years ago and I was concerned I may have damaged it further. So, I went to urgent care and was checked out. I was told I had whiplash and some muscle strain and to take these prescriptions and rest. Well, that was Friday afternoon and I had to still do shopping for the vows renewal for Sat and of course, get ready for that. So, after the ER I went shopping for Sat and was pretty drained by the time I got home!

Sat morning, I woke up in a lot of pain and feeling very ill from the medications they have me on. I was not sure I was going to be able to do the ceremony. I knew that it was very important to my mom and Al, so I pushed on and we gathered everything up and went to the church.


We got everything ready for mom and Al and waited for their arrival (and approval) I was officiating the ceremony and when I was writing it, had a hard time finding the right words. It's hard to know what to say for a renewal that may only last a few months. Most variations on renewal wording I could find online were about the years to come and so on. I knew those would not fit, so I had to kind of just work in my own words and thoughts. I will post the copy of the renewal for those who were unable to make it. I thought it was fitting at least to the best of my ability. It's only the second wedding I have ever done, so it was still a little awkward and a little emotional knowing what it meant. It was a good time by those who came and I am pretty sure mom and Al both enjoyed their moment and it held a special memory for them, which was all we wanted to do anyway.

Words are never easy to come by and I feel like a lot of people have pulled back simply because they don't know what to say or how to help. I always just want to say, sometimes, it's the little things that help the most and the smallest words, deeds and gestures are often the most helpful.

Mom is doing well (as she can be) the past few day's. She tires easy and uses her oxygen a lot. Her short term memory isn't very sharp and she get's confused in the moment easy, but she's still Shirley and she would still love to hear from everyone. My address is available to those who want to send cards or anything else. Just give me a jingle or note and I will pass it along.












The Ceremony:



The word renaissance means rebirth;
Today we celebrate the rebirth of a commitment
Before this honored gathering of family and friends.
Albert and Shirley with full confidence in the solid anchor of their love,

An unknown author wrote, “The world, for me, and all the world can hold is circled in your arms, for me there lies within the lights and shadows of your eyes the only beauty that is never old.”
Emily Bronte once wrote, “…he’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same…
Love is not simple nor is it easy. Love is complex and reaches through our hearts and into our very souls. It defines us in both good and bad ways. Love is a commitment of more than just words. It’s actions, it’s feelings, it’s sharing laughter and yes, even tears. It’s facing happiness with smiles and joy and standing tall and holding onto one another through fear and uncertainty.

Albert and Shirley have prepared a few words for each other today.

When you first joined hands and hearts 17 years ago, you did not know where life would take you. You promised to love, honor and cherish one another through all things. Life has surely brought you both wonderful blessings and difficult tribulations. Therefore, you have fulfilled your promise. And God is smiling! So, as you come here today to reaffirm your wedding vows and as you reflect back over all the years as husband and wife, do you now reaffirm the vows you took 17 years ago? If so, repeat after me.

I, (name), give to you, (name), a new promise, and yet not so new; a new (husband/wife), and yet not so new; and a new affirmation of love from the heart that has loved you for 17 years and will love you for as much time as God allows.”
You are mine, my love, and I am yours, as ordained by God from the beginning of time. God brought us together, kept us together. You are God’s gift to me, my priceless treasure, my blessing for life. May God bless us as we come together before our family and friends to renew our pledge of love to one another, eternal

      “Do you, Al continue to take Shirley as your loving wife? Will you continue to love her, honor her, comfort and treasure her, forsaking all others for as long as you both shall live? Do you, Shirley continue to take Al as your loving husband? Will you continue to love him, honor him, comfort and treasure him, forsaking all others for as long as you both shall live?”
      
As the husband and wife exchange new rings:
   “Husband/Wife, I give you this ring as a token of our abiding love and recommitment to one another.”    “We have lived and loved as we promised long ago in the presence of God, and our past and future are a circle unbroken, much like these rings, with which we renew our pledge to one another of never-ending devotion.”
   “From this day forward, I reaffirm my love for you, and this ring is a symbol of that love.”


From the “Amber Spyglass” "I will love you forever; whatever happens. Till I die and after I die, and when I find my way out of the land of the dead, I’ll drift about forever, all my atoms, till I find you again… I’ll be looking for you, every moment, every single moment. And when we do find each other again, we’ll cling together so tight that nothing and no one’ll ever tear us apart. Every atom of me and every atom of you… We’ll live in birds and flowers and dragonflies and pine trees and in clouds and in those little specks of light you see floating in sunbeams… And when they use our atoms to make new lives, they won’t just be able to take one, they’ll have to take two, one of you and one of me."

We know not how much longer these two have to love not only each other but all of those around them, what we do know, what we surely cannot doubt, is that love, true, unending love has and will eternally persist in the hearts and minds of both Shirley and Al, it is with great pleasure that I reaffirm their love and vows before you today.


You may kiss your bride

8 comments:

  1. That's beautiful. You did a wonderful job. I'll be thinking about you today,as you see what they can do with that shoulder of yours.

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  2. That's beautiful. You did a wonderful job. I'll be thinking about you today,as you see what they can do with that shoulder of yours.

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  3. That's beautiful. You did a wonderful job. I'll be thinking about you today, see what they can do with that shoulder of yours. Medicating you to the hilt isn't going to be a good long term option. You have wayyyyy too much on your plate. You can't do it with a fuzzy head. Hopefully, Dr Hilton will have just the thing. xoxo

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  4. That's beautiful. You did a wonderful job. I'll be thinking about you today, see what they can do with that shoulder of yours. Medicating you to the hilt isn't going to be a good long term option. You have wayyyyy too much on your plate. You can't do it with a fuzzy head. Hopefully, Dr Hilton will have just the thing. xoxo

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  5. Dana, you did a terrific job. It looked like a great, great day.. Lots of smiles and hugs.

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  6. Thank you! I was pretty proud of how it turned out

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  7. Awe... beautiful... kiss and hug my beautiful cousin for me

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  8. Awe... beautiful... kiss and hug my beautiful cousin for me

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