Page 241 of Sing with Me

“Don’t worry. It will be over soon.” Avery gave her a serious look. “Just follow me.”

Skye laughed and kept the smile on her face all the way down the hallway as Brinley led the processional, Avery behind her, and Skye behind her maid of honor, clinging onto her brother’s arm as they entered the century-old wedding chapel.

The string ensemble led by two harps played a beautiful medley of some of the hymns that had impacted Skye and Diehl in their Christian lives, in lieu of the more traditional “Wedding March” or “Pachelbel Canon in D Major.”

Diehl and Skye had both agreed that hymns would calm their nerves during the processional.

And they were right. Skye found herself humming to the hymns from her childhood and adult life, and to the hymns that Diehl had chosen in his first year of being a true believer of Jesus Christ.

As she walked slowly on the red carpet amidst a sea of smiling faces, Skye wished that her parents, Aunt Irma, and Uncle Miller could be here to share her happy day, but life wasn’t perfect. To be sure, her aunt and uncle had imparted much to Skye and her brother, and their legacy would live on through the next generation.

The most important thing was that God was with them today.

Perfect God in all His glory, who had chosen to rain them with showers of blessings from heaven today, to remind them of the seasons of life.

Glory be to God!

Perfect God who had been with Skye since she was saved as a child, through the turbulent times of a broken family, and who had delivered Skye and her brother through to adulthood unscathed.

Perfect God who had saved Diehl’s soul one year ago in this very month of June and transformed his life from lost to found, pain to gain, and sorrow to joy.

And perfect God who had chosen Diehl to stand at the altar now, waiting for Skye to make it through the long red carpet so they could begin their wedded bliss as husband and wife in Christ.

Diehl stared at her with a smile on his face. He blinked.

Skye could tell he was nervous.

Sebastian patted her hand in the crook of his arm, as if to say, “You okay?”

Skye nodded slightly, her eyes never leaving Diehl, who was coming closer and closer to her view. Standing next to him was his dad, holding a cane, beside ring-bearer Ethan in a spiffy tuxedo.

Skye was happy that Diehl had chosen his dad to be his best man. It had also been the right decision for Diehl to remain at their Atlanta office for the entire school year to help Brooks Investments to transition to their split company structure. His dad was grateful to have Diehl by his side when they sold Brooks Manufacturing to some company in Texas. And it gave them time to help Diehl’s sister-in-law get back into a corporate life as she slowly moved back to Atlanta.

Riley Brooks had become a friend to Skye, an older sister she never had. They had rapport and respect for each other as businesswomen and entrepreneurs. Riley also brought new clients for Watt’s for Dinner, and Skye was grateful.

Speaking of the personal chef company, after Skye moved to Atlanta from August to May to restructure Watt’s for Dinner to fit more into her Skye’s the Limit style of business—and to attend marital counseling with her fiancé—she found herself evolving into a CEO position rather than cooking every day as a personal chef. Her chefs needed a leader to guide them in menu planning, take care of their 401K and healthcare, and provide them with job security.

She enjoyed coming up with new menus in her test kitchen—with Diehl being daring enough to try dishes he had never tasted before.

Not cooking every day had freed up Skye to spend more time with her future stepchildren whenever Diehl was tied up at work. Her flexibility with her schedule meant she could drop off and pick up Elisa and Ethan at school and attend all their school events in the entire school year, rain or shine, to the point that Ethan almost called her Mom.

She smiled at the thought.

Within arm’s reach now, Diehl’s eyelids fluttered ever so slightly, but Skye noticed.

When Sebastian handed Skye over to Diehl, she saw that his eyes were glistening with tears.

She gently squeezed his hand. He leaned toward her, and she whispered, “God makes all things new.”

He nodded.

Pastor Tom Gonzalez began the wedding ceremony with a prayer to Almighty God. The prayer, as well as the rest of the wedding ceremony, was peppered by rain all around the wedding chapel, and occasional distant thunder.

After the traditional wedding vows were exchanged, Pastor Gonzalez said, “Revelation 21:5a says, ‘Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”’ Now the bride and groom would like to say a few more words to each other before they exchange their wedding rings.”

Skye and Diehl faced each other and held hands.

Diehl looked lovingly at Skye as he spoke. “Philippians 4:13 says, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ I will love you with God’s love for as long as we both shall live. Until my last days on earth, I will hold your hands and never let go.”

---