Chelsea's Turn

Happy Anniversary today to Nicholas & Victoria!

Is this the little girl I carried,
Is this the little boy at play,
I don’t remember growing older
When did they?
I don’t know about your house, but in ours, for almost every family gathering there’s been a group of cousins at the “kids” table.  The big girls and the little girls.  Ben & Nic then Austin & Shane.  We’d be hard pressed to fit even Shane at the kids table these days.
Late in the afternoon this Saturday, Chelsea will marry the love of her life and sit down to dinner at the head table.
With cousins, the direction our lives take, mostly determines the relationships.   The traditions we celebrate in our own families have much to do with the intersections and crossings of extended family. Our Holidays and summer days made for happy carefree get-togethers. We’ll always have grandma’s.
Chels and Meliss were middle cousins. But that didn’t hold them back.  It wasn’t easy being the youngest  of the big girls, not too mention the harassment from Ben & Nic then Austin & Shane. When tease came to shove they made their own movies, invented their own entertainment, and never failed to tackle the deep end.
These two fiercely independent women made their way, fought their demons, and  held their own until giving their lives up to a life lived with Jesus on the throne.  And He’ll be there Saturday night turning our sorrows into joy.  He is the reason for the celebration of marriage. Chelsea and Melissa both know this and it is the magnet that draws them to encourage and admonish each other, once as cousins, now as sisters.
Derek and Spencer may have to console each other on the sidelines when Chelsea and Melissa hit the dance floor.
My contribution will be the photographs, but hey, what’s new.  I’m only hoping, somehow, even through the camera lens, I’ll be able to celebrate the love of my sister’s family.
My kids demand encourage me to put the camera down and enjoy the moment.  After capturing Chels and Derek’s special moments, I intend to do just that. Weddings deserve more than digital mode.
So put on your dancin’ shoes (for the ceremony) then kick them off and raise your glasses to the happy couple, the sacrament of marriage, this moment in time, and memories that will last a lifetime.