Today I found myself thinking back to a beautiful wedding last summer of Randi Dorholt, my first cousin once removed. She was married on the grounds of a Lutheran bible camp just outside of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, beside a lake-
but what I remember even more than the picturesque setting was the service itself and all of the touches that made it so refreshingly unique. There was a lovely braiding ceremony that I had never seen before, inspired by the Bible verse that a three-strand cord is not easily broken – and they also engaged in the ritual of foot washing … something I’ve seen before in Maundy Thursday services, but never before at a wedding. It was a beautiful picture of what it means to be a servant to one another.
And then there was a lovely moment after the ceremony when Randi and her new husband set off on a quiet canoe ride – a lovely symbol of the larger life journey on which they were embarking.
But what I am thinking about today more than anything is the beautiful young girl who was the flower girl for this wedding. For several years, Randi was the Personal Care Assistant of Kally, a youngster living with an especially severe case of Osteogenesis Imperfecta or Brittle Bone Disease. Her condition has necessitated that she live nearly every waking moment of her life lying on a carefully cushioned pillow. (She is not even able to sit up in a chair. It is a physical impossibility for her.) So much of what we think as normal and even essential facets of life are completely impossible for her, and every detail of her daily life must be calibrated with the utmost caution and care. My cousin Sigri, who was one of Kally’s homeschool teachers, tells me (and I’m sharing this story with her permission) that Randi has been one of the most important lights in young Kally’s life- and vice versa- which is why Randi asked Kally to be her flower girl. She was there in what almost looked like a sort of bassinet, and she was not able to stay past the ceremony (chiefly because her body tends not to properly regulate its temperature, and because her body has very limited ability to fight off infection or sickness) but still, it meant the world to her to play a special role in her beloved friend’s wedding. And I get a lump in my throat when I think about how important it was for Randi to include her young friend in her wedding in such a meaningful way.
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Today, May 6th, is Wishbone Day- a day to remember those who live with Brittle Bone Disease …. to learn more about the disease and to consider supporting the important cause of research into finding both a treatment and a cure …. and to stop and appreciate something that all of us tend to take completely for granted – the bones in our body. I wore yellow today in honor of Kally – and plan to do so every May 6th. I like that it’s yellow because I think it’s a color that denotes joy and hope and light. And as I wear my new yellow tie, I am reminded of this little girl who loves to sing, and finds reason to sing, even in a life that is so severely curtailed – and always will be. That she finds joy should be a lesson for the rest of us.
Information is available from the OI Foundation: oif.org.