Without a Word_ How a Boy's Unspoken Love Changed Everything - Jill Kelly [77]
Through the years my dad had watched me deteriorate in despair and defeat and then rise up with courage and hope. He had witnessed the transformation of our entire family. And though he said very little, I knew he was amazed that we had all come so far.
I could hear the soft beautiful piano music playing in the distance as I carefully slid into the golf cart. My mother, camera in hand, joined us.
I was so nervous.
My dad drove us down to the pavilion nestled between Hunter’s Cabin and Two Sisters Pond. As we parked, cameras flashed like lightning all around us. Camryn and Paige, my six-year-old niece, sprinkled the ground with rose petals while my nephew Ben kept my skirt from dragging along the ground. As my dad and I made our way down the candlelit aisle toward Jim and Pastor Rich, there was a heavenly hush throughout the pavilion. I tried not to make eye contact with anyone because I knew if I did, I would lose it.
We had purposefully invited everyone who was there. Jim and I wanted an intimate ceremony. We wanted to share this very meaningful event with special people: Individuals who had walked beside us through the many tumultuous seasons of our marriage. Friends who were at the party the night I met Jim in 1991. Family members who had watched us grow apart and struggle for years. Dear friends who came to our rescue when life started to crumble.Those who loved us and spent countless hours praying for our entire family. We wanted to share this deeply cherished night with these treasured few.
Everyone there needed to see the answer to years of prayer. They needed to stand witness to the fact that the impossible is possible.
As we stood with Pastor Rich, the glow of hundreds of candles lit the area and a gentle breeze swayed the elegant draping back and forth. It seemed as if time actually stood still. Initially, Pastor Rich cracked a few simple jokes to lighten the mood and calm our hearts. Jim and I were both nervous. Not so much because we were standing in front of our friends, but because of why we were there.
I hadn’t written down what to say to Jim; instead, we decided to spontaneously share what was on our hearts. A simple ceremony of prepared words just wouldn’t do this time.
The expression of our commitment to love each other no matter what had to be real. I wanted the intimacy and intensity of what we were about to do to echo in our hearts into eternity—and in the minds and hearts of all who were there to share the event with us.
To start off the ceremony, our two nephews, Benjamin and Zac, and our daughter Camryn each read a Scripture from the New Testament. Then Bill and Mooch, two longtime family friends, each made their way up to the microphone to say a few words. Mooch glanced over at us and began, “I am amazed when I think back on how Jim and Jill’s marriage started. We saw a beautiful, blonde, green-eyed Jill from ‘our little Attica’ marrying a big, popular football star, Jim. You might say they both found the right person. It was a fairy tale come true!
“What I see now is a spiritually beautiful Jill and Jim. What I think we all need to understand is that marriage is not about finding the right person. Marriage is about being the right person. Praise God that, in Christ, Jill and Jim are new creations. They now bear the fruit of righteousness—love… joy… peace… patience… kindness… goodness… faithfulness… gentleness… and self-control—that will allow them to be the right person.
“I feel that what these two have now is far better than any ‘fairy tale come true’! I am so thankful to be a part of such a special evening, and I look forward to growing together with them and their family in Christ.”
My dear friend Mary got up to share after Mooch. Her words were mixed with tears and fell on our hearts.
When Erin Marie started to share, I could barely control the flood of emotions welling up inside me. Her eloquence and tenderhearted reverence for Jim and me was incredibly