|
Last year some time, Karen and Lacie had come over to visit. At some point in the conversation the question was asked how long Chris and I had been married. The answer is fourteen years.
Fourteen years and a little over eleven months ago Chris and I signed papers that said that we were now Mr. and Mrs. Williams. We were given a bit of a lecture of the legal implications and we had to verbally consent to the contract by saying “ja” at the appropriate moment.
It all happened at the registrar’s office in my home town on a windy Thursday afternoon at two. The date was August 22nd, 1991. The place was the city hall of the Kuenzell Township – suburb to Fulda, Germany. Present were my parents and Chris’ aunt and uncle through whom I had met Chris. After the “ceremony” we went to a café and had strawberry tarts. On the 31st we had a barbeque pool party with a wedding cake.
The whole wedding experience was very disappointing for me (even though at the time I vehemently denied this). Because we married against the “better judgment” of my mother, my marrying was treated with much silence.
Back to the conversation with Karen and Lacie: the two of them decided that it was a very good idea to challenge me (I say “me” because Chris, if I remember right, was at a Funny Bible Study at the McConnells’ house with the kids) to have a church wedding for our 15th anniversary. Here we are in July of 2006. Said fifteenth anniversary is coming up in less than four weeks.
On Sunday, the 20th of August, 2006 there will be a wedding celebration for Chris and me during Vespers. Because we never did exchange wedding vows we cannot call this ceremony a “renewing” of vows. Instead it will be a first-time-ever exchange of vows, a wedding before God. Present will be my spiritual parents, Ray and Marriana Magruder and my beloved family: YOU. | 
