The bride stood in the back of the chapel, arm in arm with her groom, waiting to walk down the aisle for a second time. The first time she had made this walk was almost 60 years earlier. At 86, the groom almost 88, they stood together in the chapel where the Burtons had been making wedding vows for over half a century, and not only devoted themselves to each other, but made a very strong, silent statement about love.
In a time when divorce is expected and easily entered into and engagements are spent fussing over the spectacle of one day rather than the commitment of mind, body & soul the actual marriage requires, Don & Betty showed us how it is done. A simple family affair about love and commitment, family & joy. It would have been so much easier to just move in together, keep the government benefits of a widow and yet they chose to take their vows before God & family, honoring the sanctity of marriage. I just like that. I think it is really unusual, of which you know, I am a fan.
So how did all this come to be?
Betty's late husband had served as a pilot in WWII, where Don (also widowed) was a fellow squadron member. Years after Betty's husband passed, she continued to go to the squadron reunions. During the last reunion, she and Don hit it off and he offered to drive her to the airport to catch her flight back home in Wichita. One goodbye kiss in a Florida airport, that they told me shocked them both, and we now find ourselves sitting in a chapel in Wichita, Ks watching as they exchange vows! If that doesn't make you smile and feel a little leap of joy for the human race, I can't think of what would. In between this kiss and the wedding, our world got a little smaller as it so often does. Don lived just 15 minutes away from our house here in Colorado Springs! He contacted Ben and they began a friendship. At a breakfast they had together, Ben noticed that all of Don's pictures from the reunion seemed to be of his Grandma. Hmmm. Then Ben didn't hear anything from Don for a long time. Then news of an engagement came! How often do you get to tease someone about being used to get to Grandma!? We enjoy this joke a lot!
The Bride's great-grandchildren and grandchildren watched, while her own children stood with her at the altar, as well as the Groom's children. Don has no grandchildren, so his family grew by leaps and bounds on Saturday afternoon. He is in for quite an experience with all these grands & great-grands just down the road!
After a honeymoon in Vail, the couple will reside here in Colorado Springs. Ben and I couldn't be happier to have them in our city. We are looking forward to getting to know our new side of the family and watching what other lessons will be shown to us from this amazing couple.
