“True love is the joy of life.”
–John Clarke
I am delighted to share glimpses of the joy of new love, as celebrated at my daughter’s wedding ten days ago at a beautiful lakeside ceremony in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Atlanta.
Below is my family, which now includes an amazing son-in-law.
Yet, beyond my immediate clan, I am now blessed to include in my love circle new family members from the groom’s side. (And unfortunately I have yet to get a full set of photos of them or I would have included it here.)
The expansion of my heart to include another set of loving folks reminds me of being pregnant with my second child wondering if I could ever love another baby as much as the first. Of course, those of us who are parents know our heart holds more than enough love for all our children. Love is abundant and limitless; staying open to expansion is the key.
The additional gift of a wedding, for me, is seeing that love not only brings us together, but sometimes it prompts us to step out of our comfort zones to be present to another. There were many acts of such unconditional love during my daughter’s wedding–from people who came from far away to attend to those who missed other major events in their lives to be there for Catie and Dave, the new bride and groom.
Yet, it is the way that my daughter and her new husband have been there for one another that has been a joy to observe. While they had the “fairy tale” wedding my daughter hoped for, they certainly didn’t have an easy dating life. During their two-and-a-half year courtship, my new son-in-law, who is a single child, lost both his parents within seven months. His parents, who were ages 55 and 60 at the time of their deaths. had a 30-year, loving marriage as all who were at the wedding told me. My daughter helped Dave, who was her boyfriend at the time, organize the funerals, catching the first plane she could to be there for him.
For Dave, and the wedding guests on his side of their family, there must have so many conflicting emotions, as the same people who gathered to celebrate the new marriage had been huddled together over two funerals a short while ago.
I cannot fathom the grace, courage and strength it took for Dave, standing under the dockside wedding arbor, to focus on his new bride while also respecting the two empty seats at the front of the ceremony in honor of his parents. Catie and Dave each placed roses on those seats before exchanging the wedding vows they created themselves.
I share this poignant moment not to create sadness around a beautiful wedding, but as a reminder that love is a gift to be cherished right now, in this moment, in whatever form it takes. Don’t wait to tell someone you love him or her or that you are sorry. Make the heart bigger than the ego.
To the two people who expanded my view and circle of love, meet Mr. and Mrs. David Maloof:
(Courtesy of Mary DiNapoli Maloof whose husband, Joe, captured this fun moment.)
https://www.facebook.com/mary.d.maloof/videos/10203692255425809/?pnref=story
With a more full heart,
Gail
The photo of the chairs was taken by Andre Urquiza, one of the groomsmen, as a gift to Dave.
Thanks to wedding photographer, Joseph William Jackson Jr.,for capturing one of the last beautiful last moments of the wedding as the guests lit sparklers while the bride and groom walked towards the pier for a boat ride around the lake (See the black-and-white photo in the top left of the heart collage.)
And, I offer my special thanks to my talented friend, Beth Shedd, of PhotOptimist for creating the wedding collage for this blog post.
Gail Kauranen Jones is an intuitive coach, gifted wordsmith and inspiring teacher who has been leading others through transformation for more than twenty years. She is the author of two books, Cancer as a Love Story: Developing the Mindset for Living, and To Hell and Back…Healing Your Way through Transition. Both books were met with rave reviews on Amazon and elsewhere.
She recently appeared as a guest “worthiness coach” on CBS TV’s award-winning talk show The Doctors and on Sirius FM Radio. Her articles and “tips” on worthiness have also appeared several times in Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper.
She has taught many leading-edge workshops at top spas and wellness centers. She now leads Zoom group coaching programs and is a guest speaker at many related events.
Gail lives a passionate and simple life writing, hiking, connecting in meaningful ways, aligning in joyful collaboration and thriving in nature.