Look How Far We've Come. The First to Marry and the Next.

Chandler, The Next in our Family to Marry 2011

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Yesterday I received an invitation to attend my niece's wedding. Chandler will marry an Idaho boy named Randall. Their invitation reminded me of another wedding invitation recently found in Grandma Elda's things.

Kim, the First in our Family to Marry (1973)

After some searching I found the invitation tucked away in a book of Grandma's corespondents. I opened the envelope and removed its contents. I reread the invitation, written on a piece of fairly generic stationary purchased at Kmart in Rapid City. Then I looked again at Chandler's wedding invitation and a thought struck me;

"Look how far our family has come over the years."

I'm continuously amazed at what our parents accomplished as we were growing up. We were a family of ten living in a small lower middle class home in Rapid City, South Dakota. We lived on Dad's small State highway salary and what Mom was able to earn doing various jobs. Our parents found a way to make what we had stretch. There were times the stretching nearly broke the bank, but we made it and are the better for it.

The eight of us have all gone our separate ways and accomplished much. Let's remember those humble beginnings as illustrated in Kim's hand written wedding invitation and celebrate where we are today, as illustrated in Chandler's.

It causes me to pause and be grateful for what God has given and lessons I've learned along life's road.

Simply,
Victor