The Wedding

News Courier Engagement Article Higley-Merrill

We are officially adding a new member to the family in just a few days. Truthfully, she was already added by heart quite awhile ago.

Thomas and Tianna will be "old married people" in a few short days.

I'm sure that Tianna's folks are looking upon their daughter with some of the same kinds of nostalgic thoughts that I am pondering as I look upon our son... where did the time go?

I am thankful that they have found each other.

They are good to each other and good for each other. That is important in making a marriage last. They are friends as well as being in love. That is important on those days where things are hard to bear. You always want to share your woes with your friend. And being in love with each other makes the good days even better because it is a technicolor panorama of joy when things are good and love surrounds you.

It has also made me do some reminiscing about my own ongoing story with Rick. I look at our wedding photos and wonder 'who are those children'?  We seemed so very young to be tackling life head on, but perhaps that is indeed the best way ... to be young and filled with the eternal hopes of all good things and to know that everything good is ahead for you both.

There are enough gloomy Gus types willing to quash young love in the world. They harp on sacrifice and  hardship like it is the only thing in life. Fortunately, there are also a lot of cock-eyed optimists who are willing to believe that rainbows only come after a little rain shower and that their beauty can only be revealed after a storm.

Optimists never see half full and half empty. They see full of potential even if things aren't quite as expected. So what if the glass is half full of orange juice and half full of Kool-Aid? You STILL get something mighty tasty to drink!

So congrats to the soon to be newlyweds who drink deeply of the Hyperion springs of eternal hope, youth and love. May they have what they need, what they desire and enough struggle to make it worth the journey together.