Wedding Bells are Ringing

We leave in a few short hours for yet another trip down south to the Old North State.  There’s no beaches or ball games on the agenda this time.  Yet the reason for this trip is just as marvelous, though mixed in with a dash of surrealism for good measure:

My little sister is getting married.

It’s a bit weird as the big brother to write those words and at the same time grasp the depth of the moment at hand.  By no means is Kelly a little girl anymore.  Rather, she’s a mature, successful and talented young woman who has a wonderful fiance and many years of marital bliss on the horizon.

I know this as fact, and yet my memory still tricks me into thinking about the past.  Surprisingly, it’s not the big events that stick out the most.

Instead, I’m flooded with seemingly mundane images of yesteryear.  Posing for a quick picture together on the first day of school. Waving pom poms on sunny Saturdays at Kenan Stadium. The daily summer drives to swim practice when we’d try to beat our record for catching every green light on Friendly Avenue.  More soccer games than you can possibly imagine from the days of the Guilford College Eagles, Sugarbears, and United.  The list goes on and on and on.

I love weddings, especially those of close friends and family, because it’s one of the few times when we stop what we’re doing and really think about life.  I find that when we do this, there’s a whole lot to celebrate.  And that’s what we plan to do this weekend!