The Wedding Promise

The Wedding Promise

I think you should postpone the rehearsal until tomorrow,” Liza suggested gently. “You and Kyle will figure it out by then,” she assured Jennifer. “Do you want me to call anyone?”  “No, that’s all right. Meg will help me,” Jennifer replied. “I’ll call you after I see Kyle. Thanks, Liza. Thanks for listening.”  “No need to thank me. Just talk to Kyle,” she urged her, “the sooner, the better.”   As Liza ended the call Claire walked out on the porch, carrying the box of printed programs for the ceremony. She looked over Liza’s handiwork with an approving smile.   “The chairs are coming out well,” she said. “Very festive.”  “They do look nice. Let’s hope the effort hasn’t been wasted.”   “Doesn’t Jennifer like the way they look?” Claire set down the box, looking surprised.  “She hasn’t seen them yet.  Jen and Kyle just had a big fight.”  Liza explained the disagreement to Claire and related what both the bride and groom had told her.   “He thinks Jennifer is afraid to be independent of her family, and she thinks he’s being selfish and unfair. Right now, it seems as if they’re in some sort of emotional gridlock,” Liza added. “Jennifer sounds devastated.    Claire gazed out the water a moment, then said, “I know it sounds bleak, Liza. But let’s try to be optimistic. I was just paging through the wedding program. Here, have a look at this.” Claire handed Liza one of the folded sheets.   Liza opened it and saw the Bible verses the couple had chosen to be read aloud at the ceremony. Silently, she began to read.  “Love is patient, love is kind...it...bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”  “Love bears all things and believes all things. Love never fails,” Claire said.  “Oh, Claire ... let’s hope so,” Liza said, trying to share Claire’s faith.  “They have until Sunday to make up, that’s almost two whole days from now.” Liza paused and looked back at the stack of chairs that still waited to be decorated. “Do you think I should bother finishing these bows?”    “Of course we should finish,” Claire replied. “Our job is to get ready for the wedding. The rest is up to the bride and groom ... and heaven,” she added.   She picked up a pair of scissors and a spool of tulle and got to work.   Liza thought about it just moment. Then she did, too.

From The Wedding Promise by Thomas Kinkade & Katherine Spencer.  Copyright © 2011 by The Thomas Kinkade Company and Parachute Publishing, LLC.