Tammy's in Love

Title reference here.


Saturday evening, I went to the Temple with my parents, my sisters and their husbands (minus Steve, who will be coming home from Afghanistan next month!).

We were able to perform Sealings, and there were enough of us that we filled the Sealing room - so it was just us in that beautiful room for the hour or so we were there. It was such a treat.

(Aside: For those of you who may not be familiar with Temple Sealings: Endowed members of the church go to the temple to perform ordinance work for the dead by proxy. We believe that this gives those who have crossed the veil the opportunity to choose to accept the ordinances we perform for them. The Sealing Ordinance seals husband and wife to each other for eternity, and seals children to parents in an eternal family. It's very cool.)

I find Sealings to be terribly romantic. I imagine the joy the couples must feel beyond the veil when finally it is their turn - some of them have waited centuries for someone to find their name! And being there with my sweet husband, hearing again the words we heard when we were sealed together on our wedding day not so very long ago - looking into those ridiculously beautiful blues and recommitting to every phrase I committed to then; I tell you. It's enough to make a girl weak in the knees.



When we weren't participating in the ordinace, I looked around the room at my siblings, observing. It's what I do.


My mind began collecting the interesting morsels of observation it gathered:

I've always loved Jamie's big, round eyes - so bright and energetic. I noticed that Megan seemed to have the same eyes - where Ali had eyes more like my almondy shape.

Jeff looked tired - and no wonder after a 60+ hour work week as an undercover cop. Those hours are unforgiving - as is the work. And my esteem and respect for him grew for his being there with us that night instead of home in bed.


All the Card sisters had freckles. Though my sisters' all had the adorable smattering across cheek and nose, where I - the fair skinned red-head of the group - had no prayer of maintaining a conservative amount and exploded with them all over. I decided that meant I won.


I smiled a little as I thought on how all of our personalities were so very different - yet so very crucial to the complete-wheel feeling of our family. Including the men we married. We all had to be there - each of us with each of those who completed us. It made me miss Steve.


Then it was my parents' turn. Dad took Mom by the hand and lead her to her place, then knelt across from her and took her hand. They looked into each others eyes - and I couldn't look away. Everything else stopped. From where I was sitting, I had a clear view of my mother - and of the expression on her face as she gazed into her husbands eyes.


I had no doubt that she was re-living their wedding day as I had done when I knelt across from William. I thought of how our mere 4 years already felt like an eternity in a very real way to me, and was shaken to the core by what my Mother must have been feeling, gazing at her husband of 34 years.


How far they've come.


How much they've been through.


Always hand-in-hand.


And I saw it. Sitting there in the Sealing Room of the temple.


I saw my mother fall in love.



I like to think I was there that first time, when the young Tammy knelt across from that Russell boy that lived up the street - excited, nervous, wondering how on earth they got there after all the detours that threatened to get in their way. She - beautiful and serene, open and trusting and smart and capable. He - tall and dark haired and dimple-grinned and baffled by the truth that this stunning creature across from him had chosen him, promising himself that he would spend the rest of his life taking care of her.


I like to think I was there, with my three sisters, just beyond the veil, clutching each other in intense excitement. Here we go. This is it.


Just like I was there with my three sisters that night, each of us now with our own love story, observing the story that started it all for us. The love that made us all believe in love.


Here we go.


This is it.

3 comments:

sharon. said...

Your moms wedding dress is BEAUTIFUL!

MikkSolo said...

Amazing description Step. I shed a tear.

Nae said...

Yes, I agree. The way you described things really struck me. I shed a tear too. :)