Photo Wednesday 44

Last weekend, in search of a picture of my mother and me, I leafed through our wedding albums for the first time in many years.  We were married in the dark ages, which is to say the pre-digital photography era.  This is one of my favorite pictures of all, because it reminds me of the way I was surrounded on my wedding day by both matrilineage and friends.  This seems apt right now, in this season when we celebrate all things maternal.

You can see my mother (isn’t that a beautiful color that she’s wearing?), and on my right hand, along with my engagement ring, I’m wearing her mother’s wedding ring.  She was my only grandparent not present at our wedding, though her spirit was absolutely tangible to me, in both her ring on my finger and the thunderclaps that punctuated (and interrupted) our vows.  I am also glad beyond expression that I had with me a token of a marriage of such strength and durability that my grandfather’s last words to my grandmother as she died were simply “thank you.”

You can also see the blue ribbons that I had sewn around the hem of my dress; each carries a personal message from one of my bridesmaids (and a couple of other very dear friends).  One thing you can’t see is that both of my godmothers read prayers in the service.  It was a day of celebration of romantic love and commitment, but I was buoyed by the tangible presence of my close female friends and family.