There is a sweet little park in northern Orange and Durham counties called Little River Regional Park. You only really know about it if you live nearby. It has wonderful hiking trails and is a gem tucked into the rural surroundings. For Jerry and Brenda it was their home turf. And since I live in Hillsborough, my husband and I hiked the trails often. Relishing the fact that they weren't heavily traveled.
Brenda and Jerry decided to marry there, with just their closest family in attendance. Family flew in from Texas, Louisiana, Illinois, California, Minnesota, and Kentucky. And since there were only about 15 guests, each couple came from another locale. It was a family gathering honoring their love, both their twenty years together and the beginning of their marriage.
They have a friend who as a videographer and a friend who as a photographer so we were all set.
We held their ceremony in one of the shelter areas in the park. Little did we know that seventy-five Durham elementary school children would be on a field trip at that same time at the other shelter. They didn't know either. So their teachers asked the children to play quietly during the ceremony and all you heard was their playful exuberance as a delightful background murmur during the ceremony.
Brenda's father escorted her into the ceremony.
At the top of the shelter I ask them, 'Do you enter into this union as equals, and of your own free will?' After they said, 'I do,' I said, 'Then let all know that you enter together in marriage as willing and equal partners.'
As they exchanged rings they said, 'With this ring, I give you my promise to honor you, to be faithful to you, and to share my love and my life with you in all ways, always.'
Brenda was radiant and beautiful, her joy lighting up her whole face as she looked at Jerry.
You can tell so much about a couple by how they treat each other and what they see when they look at each other. This couple has a history of adventure and life shared. They gave each guest a jar of homemade strawberry jam. It is just an example of the abundance of the love they share. I know I'll thoroughly enjoy the jam they gave me, and will think of them and their love with each bite.
It was a pleasure to share this special time with them. I wish them many many more years of loving.
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