On Friday, June 26th, in this year of the pandemic, 2020, my daughter and her long time partner held a small, beautiful, simple wedding in the park near where they live.
No one could go for so many reasons: geographical, pandemic risk, and many other considerations.
They are committed to one another and know one another well enough to go into this new phase with eyes open. I trust them to succeed and I believe it is important to have legal power with your partner, especially in time of pandemic. They are doing the right thing in the right way for the right reasons.
My opinion: It is NEVER easy to break with social conventions and the wedding industry is overpowering. People spend unconscionable amounts of money for what is in essence a solemn oath of commitment and a celebration of loved ones. Now it is huge banquet halls, professional florists, bridesmaids and bride grooms to be costumed, wedding dress to be found, menus and negotiation over who to invite and how many. All the stories I have heard from my peers, have been somewhat disheartening to me.
My own wedding was necessarily simple. I made my dress the day before. We had two weeks to get blood tests, marriage license, and all the military paperwork taken care of. My groom had been drafted, trained to be an officer, and was being assigned to Wharton Barracks, Heilbronn, Germany. I was going with him.
My mother's wedding, too, happened in World War II and my father was being shipped out in the navy. My parents succeeded in a marriage that lasted until they died.
One of the key commentators on BBC World News a couple of weeks back said that the future is unpredictable. The only thing we can be sure of is that things will change and we can only watch and wait and adapt to them. I am sad that my daughter and her partner are full on into adult life in the midst of a dangerous pandemic, civil unrest, and ridiculous new expenses for ordinary living. On top of all of that, they also endured a building fire that left them homeless last year. I wish it could be easier. I am glad it could be simpler.
My daughter was gloriously beautiful, they both were, Justin and Lavinia, and they had a splendid summer day. Everyone loved them and supported their freedom and wisdom in planning this momentous day their own way, unconstrained by family expectations, or social pressure. They got to be creative!
Happy Trails,
Jo Ann
Meanwhile, 10 million cases worldwide, half a million deaths. In the US, over 2 million cases and 130,000 deaths. All the Southern States are now bright red on the television map of 'hot zones.' It strikes me as heartbreakingly reminiscent of other people wiped out by pandemics in this continent, upwards of 90 percent of the indigenous people who lived here were killed by European diseases.
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