We spent this past weekend in Ann Arbor with family celebrating my sister-in-law’s final vows with the Servants of God’s Love. It was an incredibly moving and wonderful weekend.
When I first met Laura, pretty early on in dating Mark, I was struck by how joyful she was in her vocation, and that joy has only grown in the past years. It was a privilege to be a part of her day and celebrate her marriage to the Lord.
On Friday night we went to a dinner with just the sisters and Laura’s immediate family. It was a time of togetherness and family. One of the many things I love about the Servants of God’s Love is the way that they welcome in the whole family of each of their sisters. I know that there are some orders where you don’t visit or see your family over extended periods of time, but with Laura’s order, it has been truly like gaining a very large extended family of in-laws! Over the past years, I’ve had the opportunity to get to know many of the sisters well- they all attended our wedding (such a blessing!), two of them even took care of Gianna one day a week while I worked last year. It was great to have some low-key time with them all before the big day.
Saturday dawned bright and beautiful. As it was also my brother-in-law’s birthday, we went out for a big pancake breakfast to celebrate John. John was also the recipient of a big birthday hurrah later in the day- the sisters had prepared him a throne at the reception and had a birthday cake made special.
Then it was back home to dress and get ready for the vows.
At the church we had time as an immediate family to pray over Laura before mass began. I am so blessed by the faith of my in-laws and the way that they love.
If you’ve never been to a vows profession, you’ve missed out. I have never seen a bride more beautiful than Laura, who was positively glowing the entire day. The moment when she prostrated herself before the altar brought me to tears. And as she professed her love for the Lord in her vows, I cried, along with everyone else in our pew.
At the end of mass Laura spent a few minutes sharing with the congregation a little bit about her faith journey and her joy in the day. Even though I knew her story, it was, as always, edifying and beautiful to hear such a witness. It was a great exhortation to seek out what the Lord has for each of us and a challenge to deepen my own relationship with him.
There were two great receptions following mass- one for the entire Church community held at Christ the King, and a smaller one for the families and friends of the sisters held at their Motherhouse. Both were lovely and a time for fellowship and laughter (and skits! The sisters performed a hilarious chemistry-themed rendition of “Let it Go.” I believe you can find it on Facebook . . . ).
It was a beautiful, faith-filled, Christ-centered weekend, and we were blessed beyond measure to be able to celebrate with Laura.
And as an added bonus- Gianna was so tired out from all of the fun that she took three naps yesterday and went to bed at 6:30pm!