The Story of Us, Part 5. A Wedding Day.

[part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4 here.]

Sam and I were married on Friday morning, May 25^th, 2018 in the Salt Lake City Temple. The ceremony was simple, but it was filled to the brim with love. I remember looking around the room and seeing the faces of friends and family who loved me, and being brought to tears. The love was overwhelming. Not only the love I felt for Sam, but the love I felt for and from the many people who watched us take our vows and commit ourselves to each other for time and all eternity. (I am also mindful of the people who were not able to be at that ceremony—please know that I felt your love for us all the same, that your love was present in that room, that I am grateful and honored that you are in my life, and that I am glad you were able to celebrate with us in other ways, large and small.)

After the sealing ceremony, there were a lot of hugs and tears, and after readjusting hair and makeup, Sam and I left the temple and greeted our friends and family, who were waiting for us outside. We celebrated with family and friends, took pictures, and enjoyed a luncheon with those we love.

 

When I look back on the story of how we met and our decision to get married, I am struck by a sense of how neither of us could have forced this to happen. Falling in love is a grace. Choosing to develop and deepen that love opens up possibilities for grace. Marriage requires grace. Any intimate relationship—especially a marriage—requires hope, forgiveness, patience, humor, and copious amounts of benevolence. There is always vulnerability when it comes to love; there is always fragility. We are both—and were both—imperfect, trying, scared people who somehow found each other, who love each other deeply, and who want to make something good out of our lives together.

Sam continues to amaze me by how good he is. Genuinely, loyally, good to his core. And for that, I am eternally grateful. We are carving out our story—it is different than what we may have expected two years ago, but it is good. And with goodness, grace, and love—both in each other and in God—I feel that there were continue to be good things in store for us.