Sentimental Wedding

Ever watch "Bridezilla" on TV ? Spoiled brats with 'In your face' confrontational personalities. They take tantrums and are frustrated because "The Wedding" isn't going the way they always dreamed it would.Exorbitant amounts of $$money$$ are spent on flowers, photographers, bands or disc jockies, the CATERING & HALL(!!),the dresses, yadda, yadda, yadda. Some churches expect a large 'Donation'. A 4 hour party costs the same as a down payment on a house.But there's another way. Charity & Jesse's way.These kids are 19. So what! Both my grandmothers were 16 when they married and their marriages lasted their lifetimes.They took marital VOWS that meant divorce was not an option.The vow was given to God. End of story.They loved their husbands and I know their husbands loved them.My dad's mom died in her 50's and my Grandfather was lost and heartbroken without her.I used to work in his appliance store on 918 B'way in Bayonne,NJ when I was a kid.I watched the store & if a customer walked in, I knocked on the hot water pipe that went to his upstairs apartment.I used to catch him whispering to himself. He was "talking to Katie", his wife. Telling her about his day and his troubles.My dad's mom gave my own mother excellant advice when she married my father.Later, on that one.
My mother's parents came from this area, in Pa.(Larksville/Plymouth). My grandma (Maggie Burns) was 16 when she married my coal mining Pap(Patrick Bernard McCue).They had 13 children.He was orphaned at 9 yrs old and started mining as a breaker boy not so long afterward.Their marriage also lasted a lifetime and my Grandpap died at age 72.Since my mom was the youngest, age 17 at the time, most of Grandma McCue's kids were grown .Her husband was her vision and purpose in life.She grieved for him till the day she died, age 92.
Charity chose to wear her own grandmother's wedding gown, the same gown her mom wore when she got married. Her Dad 'gave her away' and ALSO married them~ he's a pastor and was their pastor growing up until he retired due to physical infirmities & limitations.God's Blessings on you both, Charity & Jesse! I cried thru a good deal of your wedding ceremony.Not because of the beautiful decorations, flowers and gowns but because of the words you spoke to each other.I know you meant them .Someday we'll chat.We'll talk about the wisdom Grandma Lawler passed onto my mother who in turn passed those same words on to me.Good, good words! 'Grandma Words' whose marriages lasted a lifetime and are happy! Well, these two kids glowed and are in love.GOOD start!!
We waited a long time for them to show up at the reception.WHERE ARE THEY? We thought.Well, after the wedding ceremony & pictures, they went to the Nursing Home to visit her GRANDMOTHER and hug her & kiss her.She couldn't be there for the ceremony because of physical limitations.I hope my young grandbabies remember me that way!