I have occasion to drive by St. Genevieve’s Catholic Church in Lafayette, LA on a regular basis. On most days, nothing special is going on. Today was different.

As me and the other 1.5 million poor schmucks  were inching along in 5:00 p.m. traffic, we were treated to the sight of a girl in a gorgeous wedding gown. The sunlight hit the crystals and pearls on her dress just so, and she was a dazzling vision of beauty. 

She was standing on the stoop with a gentleman in a tuxedo who I’m guessing was her Father. St. Genevieve’s doesn’t appear to have a vestibule, because the Bride and her escort were standing outside the huge front door. Everyone else had evidently marched in, and there she was, clutching the man’s hands. In just those brief moments, I could tell that the young woman was giddy with anticipation of her entrance into the church. 

Seeing her immediately brought a smile to my face, and I was smitten with curiosity about the people inside. How many girls were in her wedding party? What colors had she selected? Who was serving as her Maid of Honor – was it her sister, a favorite cousin, or maybe her best friend?  

And, more important, what about the Groom, her soon-to-be husband? Was he short or tall, handsome or average? How long had they dated? Did they share the same ethnicity, or was she swirling? Did the gentleman standing with her, waiting to walk her down the aisle, approve of the man who would be waiting for her at the other end???   

The traffic picked up, and we chugged forward. I didn’t get to see her enter the doors, and I’ll never know what awaited her inside. Wedding bells were ringing for her, and a new chapter in her life was waiting to begin.

How many other people got married today? I wondered. Despite the turmoil that composes our world, life moves on. Steps are taken and decisions made. This Bride got married; somewhere in the world, today marked an engagement, a promise of marriage, for hundreds, maybe even thousands of other couples.

There’s a flip side to that, of course: Somewhere in the world, others decided to end their marriages or relationships and call it quits. Somebody opted to stop trying, or felt it was better to walk away.  Today was a day of supreme joy for some, and a day of bitter, disappointing sadness for others. And yes, life will go on.

I said a prayer for that unknown couple as I traversed down Evangeline Thruway. No one, me least of all, knows what challenges they will face or what heights they will reach. I sincerely wish them well, and hope their wedding bells will ring cheerily for the rest of their lives.

Join in the Fray: What “bells” are ringing for you ?

I’m blogging every day in the month of April in Blogher’s NaBloPoMo Challenge. Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment!

Copyright © 2013 Michelle Matthews Calloway, ASwirlGirl™, The Swirl World™, All rights reserved.