24 Dates in 2024

24 dates in 2024 – Date #7

In 2000, Ken and I exchanged wedding vows on the sandy beach pepples of Sea Bright, New Jersey with the best weather ever and a tight group of family and friends. That day, we became forever wedding date partners.

Confession, I vaguely remember our wedding day. I remember flashes like a series of Polaroid camera pictures. Mostly, I remember the feels of our day, like the sun’s warmth that morning. There hasn’t been a warm sunny day since on that specific date. The soreness of my jaws from uncontrollable smiling and laughter. The bend and a light breeze on my shoulder at the sway of my uncle’s hat when he gave me away. The light in Ken’s eyes and teeth when he saw me in my white dress. The sound of laughter from little people dancing and a slightly amused, puzzled look at each other when Ken and I noticed that our wedding cake was not exactly ours.   

I guess I remember more than I give myself credit for.

But most of all, I remember the thickness of the joy. The ooie-gooie joy connecting two families that never met and strangers who had one thing in common, us.  

Now fast-forward ahem . . . a few years, and Date #7 of our 24 dates in 2024 time warps us onto the dance floor at the wedding of a close family friend—a young man who has grown up in our church with our oldest son. Watching your child’s friend get married is mind-blowing.

Like, are we this old? Nah!

If you get a chance to celebrate young love, do it! Share in the joy, bring your one-of-a-kind couple charm, honor your pledge to each other, and gift the newlyweds with not only your love for them but also for each other.

The trippy thing about weddings with your forever date is that you will celebrate another couple’s love with yours. You will relive your wedding day, and this new love celebration will feel more like your day than any other, including anniversaries.

Some will call it nostalgia. It’s more than that. It’s more than a remember-when moment because we are still celebrating us.