THE Day!!! 9 hours to go....

It's hard to believe that after all the waiting and planning and dreaming -- that we are finally at THE day! Torrey is still asleep -- her two roommates from college spent the night here so they could have one last "sleep over." Chris is at the hotel bunking with a couple of his groomsmen, and Bob and I are puttering around, waiting for the world to awaken so we can get on with the day. There is a dusting of snow on the ground, and we are supposed to get from 2 to 4 inches later today. I hope it doesn't deter the Indiana or Michigan contingents from joining us this afternoon!

Torrey and Chris had a bit of a counseling session with "the uncles," going over the service itself and just sharing their hearts with Uncle Rob and Uncle Tim imparting their wisdom -- touched as always with humor.

The rehearsal went well last night and the rehearsal dinner was simply lovely. We had it in the fireside area of the church which is in the narthex; a cozy area perfectly suited to this sort of occasion. Nearly 50 people attended -- family and bridal party. I showed the video/slide show I have been working on for nearly 6 months. Sean, our wedding coordinator's husband, added music and special effects, turning it from a prosaic powerpoint presentation into a poetic feast for the eyes.

The highlight was a gift from my youngest sister, Lyn. Several months ago, she said, God gave her the words for a song which she wrote and sang for us last night as a surprise. David, my 15 year old nephew played the piano while Lyn sang "Torrey's Song." My feeble words here can't do it justice. The melody was beautiful, but the words were perfect. I'm hoping Lyn will record it for us and that somehow we will be able to add it to the video disk I did. The song spoke of God's grace in giving Chris to Torrey in answer to all our prayers -- how perfect he is for her, and she for him.

As we begin our special day, may God grant traveling mercies to all that are joining us late this afternoon, and may he impart a special grace to all of us this day....