I remember it as freshly as if it were yesterday. Eight of
my closest friends joined me to stand on a boat dock in West Virginia on Lake
Floyd, and we prayed together as the time moved purposefully to the grand
moment. A text message came through indicating it was time for us to begin the
journey. It had been raining earlier in the day, and all around the region,
massive storms had broken out, but for us, there were blue skies and the lush
greens of spring. The water was calm, peaceful, and inviting. The nine of us
purposefully descended into three small rowboats, and began our journey across
the lake.
Upon docking at the far side, we came walking in single file
to a gathering of a few close friends and family (to be honest it was all
family—our friends are our family as well). The music had begun, and I was
looking over the crowd smiling and filled with anticipation of what was to
come. And then, she came from around
the corner of the Lake Floyd Clubhouse with her father walking alongside her.
My eyes began to well up with tears of joy. They came down to the waters edge
across a grassy field through a center aisle made by folding chairs brought out
for the occasion. I breathed in deeply as I thought about the sacredness of
this moment. I was about to commit my life to this amazing woman, and she was
about to do the same.
She looked so beautiful as she gracefully made her way down
the aisle in a refitted and redesigned wedding dress, made from her mother’s
own wedding attire. Her eyes glowed in the same bright azure blue that I’ve
enjoyed waking and looking into as we start our day together for the last five
years. I can remember so vividly every moment because my heart was (and is!) so
captivated by this incredible, compassionate, faith-filled, beautiful woman. We
exchanged our vows, we participated in an ancient Shawnee wedding tradition,
and we even had the blessing of my best friend in the whole world, Willie,
writing an original song for us. The entire time we were surrounded in beauty
and held in love by our gathered witnesses.
As the wedding came to an end, the celebration started, and
honestly hasn’t really stopped! We were presented to our gathered family as
husband and wife, and made our way down the aisle exceedingly joy-filled to the
tune of Country Roads, a fine new
West Virginia/Appalachian tradition. We made our way to the dance floor of the
clubhouse and enjoyed the best wedding food I have ever experienced thanks to
the generosity of Jessica Kerr—She even made pepperoni rolls from filo dough. (Jamie
had told her dad when she was a little girl that she didn’t know all that she
hoped for with her wedding day, but she definitely wanted pepperoni rolls—a
West Virginia staple).
And here we are, five years into the future. As full of joy
and vivid memories as that day was, today seems more full. We have both grown
in our understanding of what it means to be husband and wife, and we have also
both grown in our understanding of how deeply loved and cherished we are by God
and by each other. On our wedding day, when Willie sang that song he wrote, we
carried it aspirationally, and today we still carry it in the same way, but at
the very least we can say that for the last five years it has held completely
true. Our love has only grown stronger over time, and our understanding of just
what a treasure God has given us in each other gets revealed freshly each new
day.
As we left crossed Lake Floyd late that night on a paddle
boat to the cheers of many who we hold very dear, we had no idea that the late
night paddle across the lake and ensuing drive to our home in Morgantown would
be not only the very beginning of our marriage, but it would be a foretaste of
our adventures around the world to make new friends and connect with old ones.
So many times we have been richly blessed by the hospitality of others, and we
have been so privileged to share in experiences with them as we learn together
how to live out the exhortation of the ancient Hebrew prophet Micah to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with
your God.
And today, the journey continues. We are nestled on a small
island off the coast of Maine, and enjoying a moment of respite and reflection
before making the journey across another body of water and starting the drive
back home. This time, instead of a paddleboat, the Swan’s Island Ferry will
provide our transit.
We do not have any idea what the future holds for
#TeamWilliams, but we are certain that if we continue to faithfully seek the
wisdom and counsel of our gracious Creator together, He will supply us with
absolutely everything we need for the adventure ahead. We are thrilled as we
think back over memories that we have made with many of you during these last
five years, and we look forward to savoring each new chapter of this story we
are writing together with each new day. May we all take moments to soak in the
joy of the present while we look forward to a future filled with hope and
possibilities.
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