To Beloved

The sun was strong
Matched only by the emotions
The small-town church had no AC
And the place was packed to the rafters

No, really
The balcony was full
And so were the steps leading up to it

The heat was
Well
Hot
That wasn't a tear trickling down my nose
But our friends still thought it sweet
When you reached up to brush away the sweat

We would have worn the dress
And the tux
To the same building on the next day
But they were sweat-soaked
And decidedly not nose-pleasing

Your smile
As you walked up the aisle
Reflected more joy and hope
Than one heart could hold

So we joined our hearts
To see if we could do it together

Thirty-six years

We've done it together
For thirty-six years
Not all of them happy
Or sunny
Or sweat-soaked

But none of them alone
None of them hopeless
None of them lacking joy

The Son was strong
Unmatched
And that has been enough

Truth is...the fairy-tale expectations of any wedding day will all surely fade away, but something much stronger, deeper, and truer remains.