Busy, busy days!

I got a call from my nephew David a week ago. "What are you doing this weekend, Aunt Janet?"

Turns out we were invited to a whirlwind wedding in Niagara Falls. David and his love, Kate, were tying the knot at the Calvary Chapel. After some scrambling and some indecision (we REALLY wanted to be there, but with the truck breaking down and all of the uncertainties surrounding that, we weren't sure we could) we finally decided to go ahead.

We're sure glad we did. The drive to Niagara Falls on Saturday was beautiful. The sun was shining, and there was just enough snow to make the scenery into a winter wonderland. We stopped at three wineries on our way to the hotel, just to experience "Vineland". Where else would I be able to get a sip of wine valued at $120 per bottle? The sommelier explained why it was so expensive ( only a few of those kinds of grapes, the vines well-trimmed to produce hearty fruit, etc.) and then gave us a home-made chocolate truffle to go with it. Yum!

The wedding was scheduled for 6:30 pm. It was short but sweet.

Ryleigh and Anna were the flower-girls. They are cousins, just weeks apart in age. So adorable!

We ate the wedding dinner at an Italian restaurant, Casa Dora. I had salmon with maple syrup flavouring. Interesting! There was much laughter and many stories were told of David and Kate when they were younger.

The next morning, we had a dip in the pool, followed by a lovely breakfast in the hotel. Then Rick and I and Jeff and Adeena went to see the falls and browse through the souvenir shop.

We stopped to visit friends on the way home, so got in late and exhausted, but happy. Let me count the blessings:

1. A mini-getaway with oldest daughter and both of our husbands. That was a rare treat!
2. An adventure visiting three wineries in the centre of Vineland.
3. We witnessed the marriage of our favourite nephew and his lovely bride.
4. A scrumptious evening meal at an Italian restaurant.
5. A dip in the pool - just the four of us!
6. Yummy breakfast.
7. Fun sight-seeing.
8. Spontaneous visit to our friends.
9. It just happened that Matt and Joanna were there- so we got to see them, too!
10. The top reason why we were blessed this weekend is that we found out that grandbaby #16 is on the way!

Sarah & Tyler's Wedding

The morning dawned dark and windy, but that didn't dampen Sarah's spirits at all. Rachel arrived early to do hair and make-up, and Aunt Wendy, bless her heart, took two trips to town for last-minute items. Vicky took all sorts of pictures of the preparations, and we were so well organized that we actually got to the church early!

We huddled downstairs waiting for the signal. Then it was time for the moms to be escorted to their seats. The music changed, and Stewart, the ring-bearer, accompanied by the two flower girls (Abby Fenton and Emma Ryan, nieces of the bride and groom) marched down the aisle. Need I say they were adorable?














I don't have the proper picture yet, but you can see how cute those three were by the picture above, with the Bride and Groom.

The junior bridesmaids were next, followed by Jeanine and Lesley, who pleased the congregation by doing a pirouette as she walked serenely down the aisle. Then lovely Linda, the maid of honour, genuinely happy and full of grace, proceeded forth.

As Sarah and her Dad appeared, I watched Tyler's face. He was white with nervousness, and his eyes were glistening with tears. He told me today that it was all he could do to not cry, and that Sarah's dress was what he expected from her - simple, elegant, gorgeous.

The ceremony was beautiful, in spite of the occasional interruption from a crying baby or squirmy toddler. Kaleb, 19 months, expressed his joy very loudly, but this didn't bother Sarah at all. She loves all of the babies, and wanted them there for her day.

I had to strain to hear the vows, but I caught the emotion in their voices as they pledged their "troth", one to the other. As they signed the marriage license, Rachel sang "Before the Throne of God Above". It was beautiful.



By the time we exited the church, it was a perfect fall day, sunny, spectacular! Riverside park was moments from the church, and was a lovely setting for pictures. My only regret was that we didn't get a picture of the entire family, kids, spouses and their children.

The reception was memorable. Beautiful decorations, fun speeches, great food, wonderful fellowship. Truly a celebration!

Only a week to go!

Sarah and Tyler's wedding is coming up fast! The house is a flurry of activity, with getting ready for company, planning the lunch, making sure everyone's clothes are in order, designing the program, and so on.

I am excited and trying not to be stressed. In order to not do THAT, I am much in the Word, and praying much. I remind myself that God never gives us more than we can handle, and I look to Jesus, Who, although He was pestered and followed and surely felt the weight of all those burdens, calmly went through His most busy of days with grace, relying on the Father. He is my Example...and although I can never measure up to Him, I strive to be Christ-like in my demeanour and my activities.

So, Lord, give me grace. Give me wisdom, I pray. Help me to discern which activities and tasks are most important, and help me to discard those things which are unnecessary. Help our family to work together in harmony this week. May this upcoming wedding glorify YOU, for you are deserving of all glory.

In Christ, I pray. Amen.

The Wedding - July 16, 2005

This is the day that the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!!

What a day it was! We woke up fairly early and went to the lobby for coffee/juice. It wasn't long before we had to start getting ready. Rachel, my hairdresser daughter, did my hair (and her sisters') and make-up. All of the grandkids were bouncing on the beds, watching tv, waiting to be ready. The hotel made us vacate two of the rooms, so we ended up with 17 people in one little room! It was a zoo. Normal, for us.

Adeena left to take Becky to get her hair done by the hairdresser Joanna had hired to do the wedding party. We got all of those little boys into their suits, and we adults got all dressed and spiffy, then we headed to the church.

I sneaked into the room where Joanna was waiting with her maids. She looked beautiful and poised, not nervous at all. She was ready.

Just a few minutes passed, then it was time for the mothers to enter. Darlene and I walked sedately (no small feat - I was wearing HIGH heels for the first time in my life) down the aisle, then lit our candles. We sat, then the wedding party began to enter. Each couple looked elegant; they all did their job beautifully.

When it came time for Christopher and Rebekah to walk down, Critter took Becky's hand, but Becky was very shy. Her shoulders were up around her ears, and she had a bit of a frown on her face. Yet, she walked nicely until she saw her daddy, then she stopped dead. Daddy and Mommy both told her, "Keep going, Becky", and she did. Christopher remembered to stop at the end of the aisle before turning to go to his spot.

The music changed, and Ray started down the aisle with his beautiful daughter. I watched Matt's face - he was grinning from ear to ear as he watched his bride approach.

The ceremony was lovely. Pastor Bob gave glory to God in his message, proclaiming that marriage was God's design, a picture of Christ and the church. He addressed the young couple, exhorting them to keep Christ at the centre of their marriage. It was a messaged designed for Matt and Joanna, but a blessing to the rest of us as well.

Vows were exchanged. Then we parents stepped forward, and the dads gave their blessing to Matt and Joanna as they kneeled before us. Pastor Bob pronounced them man and wife, then Ray stepped forward again, and said to Matthew, "You may now kiss your bride!"

We have a picture of Matt and Joanna's first kiss - the look of joy on our pastor's face is priceless. Their example of purity during courtship was a blessing to our entire church and community. It is possible to remain pure , even in our age of promiscuity, if one is committed to honouring God and one's parents.

Every detail of the day was ordained by our loving heavenly Father; He even held the rain off until all the pictures were taken!

The reception was so much fun. Joel, Joanna's 19 year old brother, was Master of Ceremonies, and when he found out that dinner would be delayed because the potatoes were not yet ready, he opened the mike up to anyone who had something to say. He threatened to spray the speakers with a spray gun if they went on too long.

My friends, Tillie and Isobel, got up. Isobel was carrying an umbrella, and Tillie informed everyone that the umbrella was for protection, because she intended to talk as long as she wanted to! She talked about her friendship with our family, then Joel made threatening gestures with his spray gun, and Isobel was quick to put the umbrella in the way. Lots of fun.

One of Matt's co-workers got up and SANG a song that he had made up when he was labouring for Matt, who is a bricklayer by trade. Matt doesn't like anyone to crowd him while he is working, and he good-naturedly threatens them if they do, so Scott made up a song that was hilarious!

If you know the song, you'll get the changes:

Sometimes when we touch, the honesty's too much,
and I have to close my eyes and hide;
I want to hold you, Mortar Guy,
Till we both break down and cry,
I want to hold you, till the fear in me subsides!

What really warmed my heart was hearing the many speeches that praised Matt and Joanna for being godly, serious, young people with a desire to glorify their God. So many people spoke of the character of these two, and of the example they set for their peers.

My daughter Linda got up and told Joanna how very much she loves her, and how glad she is to have her for a sister-in-law. Anyone who knows Linda knows how shy she is, and how difficult it is for her to speak in public, yet she was poised and articulate. I was so very proud of her.

Heather got up and talked about Matt and his antics. Sarah also spoke about both Matt and Joanna. Daniel chickened out, but wanted to say that he has always considered Matt to be his mentor, and that he loves him very much.

Jared, my gentle giant, was hilarious. He said that he could stand there and look dumb - "I'm good at THAT!" but that he really should make a speech. He didn't speak long, but he had the whole audience in stitches. I wish I could remember everything he said.

All in all, it was a marvellous day. Matt and Joanna got up and thanked everyone. Again, I was amazed at the poise my son had in delivering a speech to close to 200 people.

Children truly ARE an heritage of the Lord; the fruit of the womb truly IS His reward.

In Christ,
Janet

Matthew and Joanna Billson

Matthew and Joanna

Yesterday, Matthew asked Joanna to marry him. He had spent the past week working out all the details. He wanted it to be a surprise - what better time than the day she flew back from visiting her brother in Colorado?

On Sunday night, the Cliffords (Joanna's parents) and Rick and I, along with Matthew, went out for dinner and discussed all of the plans. We agreed to meet in Stratford at a jewelry store highly recommended by Mike. Tuesday night, Matt rushed from work and had a shower at Aunt Betty's, so he wouldn't have to go all the way home first. We all met at the jewelry store. Jeff, the owner, was very knowledgeable, friendly, helpful, and above all, patient. Matt agonized over the proper ring. He knew that Joanna didn't want one that was too high, nor too elaborate. Her tastes are elegant and minimal, rather than showy and gaudy!

After nearly two hours, Ray spotted a ring that had a garnet shouldered by a couple of diamonds, in a unique setting. "What about this one, Matt?" Not sure. Would Jeff be willing to take out the garnet and pop in that beautiful, registered, Canadian diamond? Yes!

Half an hour later, Jeff came out with the perfect ring! Matt said, "Oh, YES!" Absolutely perfect.

We went out to dinner (again!) and Matt kept staring at the diamond. His plan was to meet Joanna at the airport with her parents, then come to Stratford where we would have dinner reservations for 7 pm. In the meantime, we'd go to the park and chat - the very park where Matt and Joanna enjoyed their first walk together, feeling awkward, yet praying for wisdom. "Is this the person that God intended for me to marry?"

The plan was in place, but the weather forecast was horrible. The weatherman was predicting 100km winds, sleet, and rain. Joanna *hates* to be cold. How was Matt going to carry out his plan?

We spent the week praying that God would move the clouds and give us a beautiful fall day. When Rick and I left Guelph, the clouds were ominous, black, dripping with heavy rain. I prayed. We drove towards Kitchener, and the rain pelted down. Oh, Lord!

As we approached Stratford, I said to Rick, "Look! The sun is shining over Stratford!" And it was. The entire city was surrounded by banks of clouds, the dark gray, purple kind that look like storm clouds. Yet the sun was shining over the city.

We met at Tim Horton's for a coffee, and after greeting Joanna, I announced that our reservations were for 7 pm. Rick said, "What will we do in the meantime?"

Darlene piped up, "Let's go to the park!" Joanna didn't have a clue.

At the park, a group of tourists wanted their picture taken, and Rick got roped into taking picture after picture with the myriad of cameras the folks owned. When they were done, I said, "Now you can get our picture!" (I just happened to have my camera with me!) So, we all climbed onto the little bridge and posed for a snapshot.

As we were heading over the bridge, Matt suddenly announced, "I'd like to go for a walk with Joanna! Is that okay, Mr. Clifford?"

"Sure," he responded, and Darlene added, "But we'll be watching you!"

Matt's plan was to take Joanna down a little path, through an arbour, into a secluded area where there was a bench she could sit on. When he got there, he asked, "Would you like to sit for a bit?"

"It's WET!" she shot back. Okay. Plan B.

They climbed the stairs and headed down a path through the woods, chatting as they walked. Suddenly, Matt stopped abruptly. He turned one way, then the other, and plunked himself down on one knee. Joanna gasped, then her eyes flooded with tears.

We don't know what exactly was said, because the kids want to keep that to themselves. But we know that Joanna said YES!!!!

God is so very good. I remember watching Joanna as a wee little girl with a brilliant smile. I have watched her grow up her entire life, and prayed for her, and hinted at Matthew on occasion. Yet, without God's intervention, without His orchestration of our lives, my son wouldn't be marrying my dear friends' daughter.

We praise God, for His timing, for His control of the clouds, for bringing these two young people together. Soon we'll be planning and making preparations for a wedding - our joy knows no bounds!

Janet