"Bridal grace..."

"...that our daughters may be as corner stones,
polished after the similitude of a palace..."
- Psalms

she was not
the kind of bride that
asked to be a
princess for a day...

and yet, she was...

she was never the
center of her own universe,
the eye of
any storm...

she was,
simply,
grace...

loveliness of spirit,
a joy to behold,
and
there was
kindness in her smile...

even when our eyes were
riveted on her,
she didn't leave us there...
we were pulled into
her vision, and there
our hearts could see only what
she saw...a lens 
so clear and
pure that the love she
held within her was
reflected in every
thing she touched...

his arm,
her mother's smile,
a brother's affection, 
the poet's song,
our tears of joy...

mingled with hers,
seemed to pour over
us like
liquid beauty
from a
cup she held  gently
in her
heart...

she
moved through the moments 
with the spiritual stealth of
a doe in the forest...
delicate steps that never
left a mark of self
upon
this day that was
hers to have...and
yet,
she gave it
willingly,
generously,
lovingly,
graciously
to us...

and we
were blessed
by her...

blessed by a woman of substance
clothed in the purest of hearts...

blessed by a gentle woman,
a virtuous woman
a woman so lovely
that her face
refused to absorb the spotlight,
but reflected it with such luminance,
such radiant love...that
we felt its warmth
and
knew we were in
the presence
of grace...

sterling,
grace...