Three Weddings and Too Many Funerals
It's been fifteen years since my middle daughter, Meagan, married Andy. Fifteen years of living and working in and around Gering, and five, almost six, children later, everyone they know would say that they are happily married. Their wedding was big and formal, and held in our church, like many weddings were then, at least here in Gering, with a sit-down dinner and dance afterward at the Civic Center. They both grew up here, and were well-known in the community, so many local people attended their wedding. In addition, they each had large extended families who were willing to travel quite a distance to be present for their big day. It was a memorable day, for sure.
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| Fifteen years ago, our family was quite small. |
They both settled in to teaching, living in an old house on Andy's family's farm before building a house at the same location about ten years ago. Now, Andy continues to teach at Gering High School, while Meagan has been focusing her teaching skills on her own children.
More than nine years after Meagan and Andy were married, our oldest daughter, Erin, married Reed. You might think that her wedding would be similar to Meagan's, but you would be wrong. Erin and Reed had each been on their own for several years at that point, and had determined that they wanted to have their wedding in the city--to be specific, in Denver. Reed had grown up in the Denver area, and still had much family there, but I think they would have chosen a city wedding even if they had known no one there at all. They limited their guest list to family and a few close friends, and chose an art gallery for their venue, with a string quartet providing the music. A gluten-free taco supper was served before the dancing began.
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| Erin and Reed, in Denver |
Now, not even six years later, Erin and Reed have owned four houses and lived in three different cities. Reed works from home, while Erin is a college professor and chair of the Fine Arts Department at Ohio's Muskingum University. They have one son and a baby on the way.
Just two weeks ago, our youngest daughter, Victoria, married Caleb. They had waffled a bit about their wedding plans, considering an outdoor ceremony before finally deciding to have a small wedding and reception at our church. They wanted to keep things simple, except for Victoria's must-have fairy tale dress, so they chose to have Arby's cater the meat and buns, and they served their guests Dairy Queen ice cream cake. No one complained.
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| After that first wedding 15 years ago, our family has grown, and is still growing. |
It wasn't much more than three weeks before their wedding that Victoria and Caleb closed on a house in Minatare, about 10 miles east of Scottsbluff. They started work immediately, cleaning, making repairs, and painting walls. The day after their wedding, Caleb brought home a two-year-old dog from the local Humane Society--specifically, their new dog, Lindy, is a Kentucky Black Mouth Cur. She is settling well into their family, joining Noodle, their eight-month-old ferret. Caleb works at a local gym and, on Saturdays, at his family's gun range in Gering. Victoria is hoping to start working again soon, once they are feeling more settled in their new home.
So, our three daughters and their husbands had three very different weddings, and now they have very different lives, as well. That's just the way it should be, as they each follow their dreams.
As I've been thinking about these three weddings, it has occurred to me that many of the people who attended that first wedding, fifteen years ago, are no longer with us. Just as weddings are a normal part of life, so are funerals. Meagan and Andy had numerous grandparents at their wedding, and Erin and Reed had fewer, while Victoria and Caleb have only one living grandparent between them. They were pleased that he could be there.
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| Victoria and Caleb, with Grandpa Bauer, aged 98 |
Such is life. Some call it the Circle of Life. People marry (or not), have babies, and raise their families. If all goes according to plan, we get older, and watch our children and grandchildren grow. Unfortunately, we also watch loved ones die, and grieve their loss. But, as 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 states, we "do not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died."
We've certainly attended too many funerals over the past fifteen years. We missed having most of the oldest generation at this wedding. But we know they would be pleased to know that their grandchildren are thriving, and raising families of their own. And, we look forward to seeing them again someday.
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