Sharing in another's joy is a beautiful thing. Karen burst into our lives years ago as a teenager. We had known her even as a little girl, but in her teen years it seemed she spent nearly as much time at our house as at her own. Some people spend ten minutes with you and it seems like ten years. I think it would be impossible for Karen to wear out her welcome. She would hang around, cook, clean, and generally make herself useful, all the time cheerfully chattering on about whatever was on her mind at the time. Her smile was ready and bright, her outlook on life always energetic and optimistic. She loved to dance and laugh; I can still picture her dancing the jitterbug with our son Matt to "Rockin' Robin" at our church "fifties night" more than twenty years ago. When she moved south nearly fifteen years ago, she took with her that enthusiasm and energy and blessed the folks down there with it. One of the folks she blessed was a young man named Todd.
Today we celebrated as Karen and Todd were married. Their wedding was everything I expected it would be. Karen is not one to leave anything to chance; every detail was planned; glitter and style was the order of the day. Ever the hostess, she greeted everyone warmly and with delight, smiling and hugging her way through the crowd. She waited. As I understand it, Todd wanted to marry her some time ago, but she told him neither of them were quite ready. Today they are, and Linda and I had the privilege of sharing their joy.
At the reception, we sat with a wonderful couple who had served as marriage mentors for Todd and Karen. They spoke of their commitment to Christ, of their church's multi-ethnic congregation and their determination to serve as a model of what it means to truly be the body of Christ in this divided and broken world. It is good to know that what we built into her years ago is bearing fruit today as she and her new husband love Jesus as well as each other. Watching a young woman who is like a daughter to you as she glows with happiness is heartwarming. Life is best when it is given away. We gave ourselves to Karen years ago, and tonight we reaped the return on that small investment as she invited us to be a part of her special day. Life shared is good, we are blessed, and I am thankful to just be a part of her joy.
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