Sometimes life delivers moments that warm your heart ... and sometimes it delivers in multiples!
At the risk of some repetition, this fall has been been a string of moments that make Joyce and I glad to live the life that we have made over these 39 years of walking this planet together with three matrimonial celebrations within our extended family. Starting with our son's marriage to his soulmate Jessica, followed by our nephew Marcus' wedding to his beloved Vanessa, then capped off by my oldest friend's first born Sara as she committed to the apple of her eye Peter.
It was enough to make this old fart's eyes a little misty.
Keaton, or KP as our family calls him, was smitten by Jessica pretty early on in their relationship, bucking the old style, traditional pathway of Love by establishing a home before legalizing the whole affair, but a deeper commitment you'll struggle to find. The Ying to his Yang, Jessica is exactly the woman to complete KP, being a strong, take control type of person unafraid to challenge his stubbornness with her own convictions. We
LOVE that about her, and more importantly, he loves her through and through. Their day was a celebration of style that screamed them, the ceremony held in Guelph's old Goldie Mill ruins, the dinner in the Spring Mill Distillery, in a quaint, rustic setting surrounded by a small, tight knit group. We couldn't be happier to welcome the Lyver clan into our extended family.
It was a heart-filling, unforgettable 24 hours.
Just 7 days later, my brother Rob's eldest, Marcus, committed to his beloved Vanessa in a ceremony equally characterized by their big personalities, contained within Barrie's Tangle Creek GC. With Limoncello shooters, a photo booth, and loads of adoring family, the smiles adorning the faces of all in attendance were evidence enough to confirm that these two were meant for each other. The deal was sealed with Marcus' best Borat impression, bellowing, "Thatsa miiii wiiiife!" He won't admit it, but I'm pretty sure a caught my brother's misty-eyed moments more than once on that evening.
Like many, I think that I smiled throughout the entire night.
The wedding season came to a completion this past weekend with another personalized, unique celebration held at Bloomington's Willow Springs Winery as Sara bound her life to Peter, symbolized perfectly as the officiant knotted their hands together as two lives joined. Sara is the eldest daughter of my oldest friend, Michael, and his soulmate Trish, and happens to be our own daughter's oldest friend since Maddi and Sara are only a month apart in age.
The backstory is important.
When my parents bought a semi in 1967 on a quiet little court just off of Toronto's Victoria Park, it was right across the street from Jim and Betty Ann who had two children of their own, Karen and Michael. Our family was still in the development stage with my brothers Rob and Mike added after. While the friendship was quickly created, it was forged in the tragedy of Karen's tragic death in a traffic accident, grief that tightened the bonds of friendship and laying the foundations of, thus far, a 59 year, ever-evolving relationship between our families. With the births of my brothers and the adoption of their daughter Jennifer, we formed a tight knit hoard that never missed an annual reunion as the second generation married, producing a third generation who subsequently married and spiced the mix with a fourth generation. Although we're not "blood" related, that doesn't lessen the depth of love we share.
That lengthy explanation goes a long way to explain our hoard being at their hoard's wedding.
In a wonderful moment, I caught the glistening of Michael's eyes as he shared a first dance with his eldest, a look that reminded me incredulously of his dad Jim, and a testament to how profound his love is for his family, a love that has graciously been extended to include our own clan. While I am eternally grateful that the matriarch of the Porter clan was present and accounted for, I'm sure their waves of joy were punctuated with pangs of loss for those not physically present, Karen at age 14, my dad in 2006, my brother Dave in 2024, and Betty Ann in 2025.
The beaming adoration in the eyes of Michael and Trish were not unlike the same visage adorning Joyce and my faces when KP and Jess declared their "I Do's".
As we get older, the world changes significantly around us, but stretches like this remind us that we are indeed blessed, and the accompanying profound sense of gratitude prompts a quick prayer of thanks for all the gloriousness we enjoy.
Ding Dong indeed.
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