Rainy Wedding

Everyone wants perfect weather for a wedding. Instead, it's a cool, rainy October Saturday on the Cape. The clouds blanket the day with  a covering of drink after a long, dry September, leaving ground and trees thirsty. The cool eases the land into the coming sleep of winter, calming everything down after the frantic growth and competition of summer. The sweetness of balsam needles perfumes the air mixed with salt from the sea. The occasional spits of water from the sky wet the ground with mist. Under this covering, like the cloud over Israel in the wilderness, God blesses the gathering with the shelter of his provision. The wedding seals the future of a young man and woman beginning a new life together. The rainy day showers God's mercies on their hair, tuxedo, white dress, and smiling faces. Drops of grace fall without invitation, even unwanted. But it's God's perfect weather for this new day.