The Invitation

In twenty-four days, I will preach the wedding of Charlotte, one of my former basketball players, and Tyler, a young man I have yet to meet. I'm sure it will be a beautiful event- they all are. This week, Charlotte e-mailed my invitation- I hope they are planning on my being present! The following is about another bride-to-be, another former player, and another invitation to one of the highlights of any happy couples' marriage. It is from 9-19-06.

The over sized envelope was in my box this afternoon when I checked my mail. It was a wedding invitation from Katie and her fiance, Cameron. Like Katie, it was unique, arriving in the form of a mock letter from the US Department Of Homeland Security. It was clever, which I like. It didn't have all the little extra envelopes and bits of tissue paper that many formal announcements include. The date is late October and the location for the ceremony is the family farm in Tennessee. Knowing the family, it will be a beautiful and interesting affair. My schedule will prevent my attending but not my reminiscing.

I met Katie when she was four. Over the years, her sisters and brother all were students in my American History classes before it was Katie's turn. Smart and dramatic, musical and athletic, Katie bloomed into a lovely young lady who played on my high school basketball team for three years. College led to an acting career and even an interview on NPR in regards to actors earning low wages in summer theater runs. Now in her mid-twenties and answering to the more grownup name of Kate, she is five weeks away from beginning the next section of her life as a married woman. On October 28th, she'll play the role of herself and play it very beautifully on the hilly grasslands of her ancestral home. I wish I could be there for her marital debut but I can't. I'm never sure what to send as a gift for ex-players. Usually, I write a long letter, trying to explain the emotions a coach has as a little girl he watched mature cements her position in the adult world. Not this time. When I moved to Texas, Katie gave me a letter dated May 21, 1998. She had written an untitled poem which has graced my living room wall for the past nine years. My wedding present to Katie is to let the world glimpse one more facet of this beautiful young woman's talent, her poetic ability. This is for you, Katie. You will be a stunning bride.

What song do you sing?
We all sing a song.
Yours is not like his,
Nor is hers like theirs.
We make,
We live,
We grow,
So differently that no score,
no tempo can depict it.
Only the Greatest Composer of all
Can truly give
Grace
Beauty
And Direction
To your own unique symphony.

Applicable quote of the day:
"A marriage is the union of two good forgivers."
Ruth Bell Graham


God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
http://www.hawleybooks.com/
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com