Today I watched my uncle Kimo walk down the aisle and embrace a new life with Maggie. When it came time to exchange their vows there was one part in particular that my uncle had a hard time getting out, 'in sickness and in health'.
Let's rewind to more than a decade ago. When I was little I would spend my summers in Los Angeles with my grandparents. And every summer for as long as I could remember we would celebrate my aunts birthday by spending the whole day at the beach. My brother, cousins and I would body board and build sand castles til it was too dark or too cold to do either. My uncle would build a fire and we'd roast marshmallows for smores. Some of my happiest memories took place on those days! I was young but there was something so surreal about escaping the demands of the world for an entire day! One year everything changed. My aunt, Rose was her name, was diagnosed with cancer. My uncle, Kimo, and my cousins were never the same, and neither were my summers. My aunt put up a good fight, she went through chemo which brought on a mess of side effects including hair loss. I remember that she used to cover her head in the most beautiful scarves. The cancer went into remission, but then came back with a furry and claimed her life.
I was living in Eugene when she died, and it's amazing how true the statement 'out of sight out of mind' really is. Now that I'm back here and I'm celebrating with family my uncles happiness I'm constantly reminded of the woman that my aunt was. I see her in the faces of my cousins, and I saw her in the eyes of my uncle today as he stood at the altar struggling to say 'in sickness and in health'.
On what is supposed to be one of the happiest days of our lives we don't think about how real the darker side of our vows could be, today my uncle had no choice but to acknowledge it. It's a reality he's faced once already, heaven forbid he ever face it again!
There was an expression of courage on his face today as he took his new bride, one I like to believe that my aunt would be proud of! She would hate for anyone to stop living their lives simply because she couldn't live it alongside them.
Rose Igarta was a wonderful woman, and I miss her dearly.
Marriage is something that eludes me at the moment. I love the idea of being able to commit to a relationship for the rest of your life, for better or worse.
ReplyDeleteBut man, being sure of the person. Trusting them. That something that I won't understand or know, until I find it.
i couldnt agree more. i want to be married, but i want to get it right the first time and so i have to know that i know that i know! its easy to stick with someone through the better, but for the worse is where it matters most! i guess ill know someday...
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