I am my beloved's and she is mine

This blog post is long overdue. Long.

On October 9, 2010, I posted this to my Facebook account: "Today seems almost too sacred to post to FB. But I want to share my great joy. Because today, I marry the love of my life, the beautiful Liz Forsythe!"

An unexpected adventure. That's the best I can describe this love. I wasn't looking for it. Wasn't expecting it. Hell--didn't think I was ready for it. And then I met her. Liz's curly hair caught my eye the first time I saw her. The second time we met, at a business dinner, my curiosity was piqued when she mentioned a love of hiking and backpacking. I asked her to dinner on a Friday evening not long afterward. When she told me she couldn't make Friday, because she had another date scheduled, but would take Saturday instead, I was hooked.

After six or seven dates, and about three months, I knew. And that's how it works, I think. You just know. Its a deep in the pit of your stomach, "I know." I wrote in my journal, "I’ve always heard that when you know, you know. And I know."

And so I asked her Mom and Dad for permission to marry their daughter. They said an enthusiastic yes.

On a warm June day, with the help of my friends Nathan Dickerson and Justin and Lauren Coppedge, I put a huge sign on the roof of my downtown St. Louis loft building that said, "Liz, marry me? -JFB"

Liz and I flew over the building in a helicopter later that day, while Nate did jumping jacks on the roof wearing a t-shirt he'd made that said "Say Yes!" Liz peered through the helicopter window, saw Nate, saw the sign, and said "Yes!" I slipped a diamond ring on her finger.

About four months later, in an autumn celebration on my parents farm, we were married. All of our 6 siblings (save Chandra, who didn't make it in from Colorado) were groomsmen and bridesmaids. And added to them were another 7 dear, dear friends, who stood in a semicircle around us, symbolizing their protection of us, their presence in our lives.

Our Dads led the wedding party and assembled guests in singing hymns together, and two of our aunts read from the Scripture.

Our pastor led the service, and after the exchange of vows and rings, we shared communion and washed one another's feet--our first act as a married couple. It was a way of saying publicly that we commit to care for eachother in messy, inconvenient ways.

Afterward, my feet were wet and my socks were long and hard to put back on, so I stood for the remainder of the ceremony with bare feet in the grass.

The wedding was full of Liz's creativity. As a friend said, her heart was visible everywhere. There were hundreds of cloth streamers hanging from the front porch, a hand-made chuppah, and wedding programs she sewed by hand.

We were joined by about 200 dear friends and family members from all across the country. And together through breaking bread, sharing toasts, and dancing in the freshly cut grass, we celebrated love, joy, and life kissed by God. It was a miracle day. Our wedding day.