Thursday, October 13, 2011

Mawwiage

"Mawwiage is what bwings us togevver... today. Mawwiage, that bwessed awwangement..."

As the context here may perhaps suggest, I am now a married man. Melody Redmond, my wife, is currently right next to me in our hotel room at Lava Hot Springs, just over a day and a half into our life (officially) together. And boy, is it ever official. Yesterday morning, I met her at the Jordan River Temple, and we were sealed for time and all eternity at approximately 10:30 AM, October 12, 2011.

Thus far, the only real change is that we are allowed to take part in more of the procreative side of things. Otherwise, everything is shockingly similar to how it's just sorta always been between us. There was no Earth-shattering change made. Just a simple sealing ceremony -- beautiful, but simple -- and then a series of parties thrown on our behalf. That really was just about it. Next week, I think it's going to start setting in just how nuts this is for me: that is, that I'm moving out of my parents' house, into my grandmother's without her even being there, with a girl that I've only known temporally for a little over two years, and all of it for the sake of a future that will never exist if my faith is somehow misplaced. And yet, for all the reason I have to be terrified of all that's coming up, all I can do is just be happy with her. She's my life, literally the missing parts of my soul, given their own form. I love her with all that I am, and I will do anything necessary to ensure her continued joy and happiness.

Everyone kept asking me, right up to moments before the ceremony, whether I was nervous or getting cold feet. All I could say was no, simply because there was no reason to be. We were already basically at that point in our relationship, and going to the temple was just to formally officialize it. So what reason had I to be nervous? It was, and is, so completely natural to be with her... I am a happy man.