“The writing life” is a frequent topic in one of the writer’s groups I attend, but I contend that there’s no such thing. There’s writing and there’s life and, even for someone who spends too much time on Word, they aren’t the same thing.
It would be a mistake to be so consumed by writing that someone forgot to enjoy the blessings of her or his life. And one of life’s greatest blessings is BABIES.
When it comes to seeing my babies – maybe not mine by birth, but mine, nonetheless -- distance and the pandemic and life events kept getting in the way of a visit until I couldn’t stand it any longer. Wednesday, I called the babies’ actual mother, saying that Harrell and I needed to see them. Soon. Golden Throat agreed with me. (No, that’s not her real name. It’s what the Good Witch calls her.) Plans were made, I returned to working on chapter fifteen of the latest, and then the phone rang.
It was Golden Throat on the line. Asking if Harrell and I could maybe arrive one day early to attend her surprise wedding. Distance and the pandemic and life events kept getting in the way of the grand wedding she and her soulmate, the Great White North, had hoped to hold, and they were tired of waiting to be a legal couple. Since we were coming to see them, they wanted to go to the courthouse on Friday and have two people who loved them very much witness the union of two people who were in love. In a year or so, with luck, they could still have a glorious reception to celebrate their togetherness and invite all of the people who didn’t get to enjoy the actual event.
This is a couple who belongs together, so, of course, we agreed. They were excited, we were excited, the babies were excited… but there was so much to do and so little time to do it. They had to get their marriage license. We had to find a proper wedding gift. What to do, what to do? Chapter fifteen was put on hold.
With less than two days to find the wedding gift, we decided to not worry about until the upcoming glorious reception. Instead, we bought a bottle of Costco’s finest champagne and picked up the grandest two-layer chocolate cake that Albertson’s had on hand. It was a marvelous pairing.
I don’t know if you’ve ever been to a courthouse wedding, but it’s a different kind of betrothal. With our group, we went with masks and dress clothes for the men, masks and pretty dresses for the women. We arrived at 4:00 pm, knowing that the courthouse doors lock at 5:00 pm. We were the only people on the third floor before, slowly, more couples began to arrive. Most of the women wore masks and pretty dresses. Most of their partners… well, they were in more casual attire. Masks, blue jeans all around, and the occasional t-shirt.
For their wedding. There are times I shake my head.
When the clerk finally came out to greet the couples-to-be, there were six weddings to be performed. The elderly judge, dressed in a long, black robe (and thankfully not in jeans and a t-shirt), had a warm and welcoming manner. He encouraged Golden Throat and the Great White North to take their time, give their own vows, and “kiss one another” as he pronounced them married.
It was a lovely ceremony, and Harrell and I were proud to be there to witness it. Then we enjoyed a full weekend filled with babies.
Life is good.
Gilligan’s Island factoid: During season two, episode 31 (Mr. and Mrs. ??), Thurston and Lovey Howell discover that they’re not legally married. If you’re wondering how the show played out, Gilligan Fandom.com has the full scoop.
The takeaway from the Howells’ monumental misunderstanding? "It takes an occasional thorn to remind us that marriage is truly a bed of roses."
It would be a mistake to be so consumed by writing that someone forgot to enjoy the blessings of her or his life. And one of life’s greatest blessings is BABIES.
When it comes to seeing my babies – maybe not mine by birth, but mine, nonetheless -- distance and the pandemic and life events kept getting in the way of a visit until I couldn’t stand it any longer. Wednesday, I called the babies’ actual mother, saying that Harrell and I needed to see them. Soon. Golden Throat agreed with me. (No, that’s not her real name. It’s what the Good Witch calls her.) Plans were made, I returned to working on chapter fifteen of the latest, and then the phone rang.
It was Golden Throat on the line. Asking if Harrell and I could maybe arrive one day early to attend her surprise wedding. Distance and the pandemic and life events kept getting in the way of the grand wedding she and her soulmate, the Great White North, had hoped to hold, and they were tired of waiting to be a legal couple. Since we were coming to see them, they wanted to go to the courthouse on Friday and have two people who loved them very much witness the union of two people who were in love. In a year or so, with luck, they could still have a glorious reception to celebrate their togetherness and invite all of the people who didn’t get to enjoy the actual event.
This is a couple who belongs together, so, of course, we agreed. They were excited, we were excited, the babies were excited… but there was so much to do and so little time to do it. They had to get their marriage license. We had to find a proper wedding gift. What to do, what to do? Chapter fifteen was put on hold.
With less than two days to find the wedding gift, we decided to not worry about until the upcoming glorious reception. Instead, we bought a bottle of Costco’s finest champagne and picked up the grandest two-layer chocolate cake that Albertson’s had on hand. It was a marvelous pairing.
I don’t know if you’ve ever been to a courthouse wedding, but it’s a different kind of betrothal. With our group, we went with masks and dress clothes for the men, masks and pretty dresses for the women. We arrived at 4:00 pm, knowing that the courthouse doors lock at 5:00 pm. We were the only people on the third floor before, slowly, more couples began to arrive. Most of the women wore masks and pretty dresses. Most of their partners… well, they were in more casual attire. Masks, blue jeans all around, and the occasional t-shirt.
For their wedding. There are times I shake my head.
When the clerk finally came out to greet the couples-to-be, there were six weddings to be performed. The elderly judge, dressed in a long, black robe (and thankfully not in jeans and a t-shirt), had a warm and welcoming manner. He encouraged Golden Throat and the Great White North to take their time, give their own vows, and “kiss one another” as he pronounced them married.
It was a lovely ceremony, and Harrell and I were proud to be there to witness it. Then we enjoyed a full weekend filled with babies.
Life is good.
Gilligan’s Island factoid: During season two, episode 31 (Mr. and Mrs. ??), Thurston and Lovey Howell discover that they’re not legally married. If you’re wondering how the show played out, Gilligan Fandom.com has the full scoop.
The takeaway from the Howells’ monumental misunderstanding? "It takes an occasional thorn to remind us that marriage is truly a bed of roses."
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