Something Old, Something New

I'm looking at a pin of my father's, when the world included him and not me yet, a gold anchor with USN emblazoned across it. Something borrowed. Something of him to carry along over the petals and into a new adventure. The love of a father for his daughter.

I hold a beautiful necklace that spells my mother's name in Hawaiian. It was her favorite place, 'The Big Island', where she spent weeks and months with family and friends showing them the pounding surf and warm rain. Something old. Something of her to catch the candlelight as we say our vows.

Nestled in the bouquet will be a charm of Randy's brother Max and an angel earring of his mother's to stand with us under the chandelier. Something borrowed. The love of a mother for her son, a best friend and brother, forever and ever.

And our precious Aiyana, the butterfly, will alight on the bouquet and the cake and on the manzanita branches throughout the room. Something blue. She will always be everywhere beautiful and happy. On this day, drawing love from those who are away and those who are here, we will notice how full our cups are with gratefulness and joy.