Extraordinary Miracles II

“The Wedding”

In all honesty, I don’t know my younger older brother’s kids that well, but what I do know of them, I absolutely cherish. His son is a diehard hockey nut with smarts that make my head hurt and who married the sweetest girl on the planet a couple of years ago. It was a summer wedding, held in the garden and celebrated by the entire Greig clan when my older older brother and his wife flew out from PEI to attend with the rest of us. They’re a good match, both Canuck-crazy and now expecting my great-niece/nephew in April.

My niece is an accountant with a personality, which makes her a miracle unto herself. She and her sweetie have been together for longer than most married couples, so when they decided to make it official, I admit to receiving the news with a measure of huh? I’m not a big wedding fan anyway, having attended enough syrupy occasions during my church days to view the ritual with little more than suspicion and, perhaps, on a subconscious level, a culturally Christian-spawned sense of failure for not having starred in my own. But I love my brother and I love his kids, so accepting the invite to his daughter’s wedding was a no-brainer.

I am so glad I did. It was wonderful.

They were married in a movie theatre, of all things. The same movie theatre, I believe, where they had their first date all those eons ago. The ceremony was presided over by the marriage commissioner, a man with the presence of Shakespearean stage actor and a gentle sense of humour. The stage was lit by a trellis made of stage scaffolding and light bulbs, popcorn was provided for the guests, and I have to say, the seats were comfier than the seats at any wedding I’ve previously attended. No cartoon, my father later lamented, but there was a short film that introduced the bridal party beforehand, and the theme to The Princess Bride played as the procession started.

I don’t know where my head was at because I didn’t figure out why my younger older brother was missing until I saw him walking my niece down the aisle. Despite remembering that his wife was mother of the bride, I’d forgotten that he was the father of the bride! I can only imagine the scene before he and his daughter took that walk—I think she’s very much like him, so emotions would be running pretty high. In any event, he handed her to the groom and the ceremony proceeded as written. The wonder came at the end, with the granting of an Apache marriage blessing and the first official introduction of Mr. and Mrs. Green. If I hadn’t known it before, I knew right then that this match is a true one of lasting friendship, love and joy. It was all over their faces, in mixed radiance and relief at having gotten through the vows without blowing their lines. I have never imagined that any member of my family in any situation could even remotely be considered cute, but these two … they’re adorable. I happily hugged him in the receiving line and he murmured, “I’m in,” with such warmth and happiness that I wanted to squeeze the stuffing out of him. “You’ve been in for years,” I replied. “Yes,” he said, grinning, “but now there’s a paper trail.” He’s so cute, and she is just vibrant. How can they be anything but delightful together?

I missed the reception due to a previous commitment, but I’m sure the party was a blast. If the ceremony was any indication, it would have been the best reception I’d ever attended. As it was, I would not have missed their wedding for the world.

And that is no ordinary miracle.