A Time to Love

I
T WAS A CLEAR, WARM NIGHT
with twinkling stars the Friday of June 8, 1877. A full moon shone over Boston Harbor, its reflection dancing on the rippling waters.

At the church on the corner of Fulton Street and Paul Revere Avenue, organist Letha Myers played in low tones as the wedding rehearsal got under way.

Linda Forrest, the bride to be, stood in the vestibule with her father, Nolan, whose face showed a gamut of emotions. He’d attended a lot of weddings in his forty-four years, but that was different from being the father of the bride.

Doris Stanford, the director of the wedding rehearsal and the pastor’s wife, hastily lined up the three bridesmaids. Among them was Linda’s best friend, Joline Jensen, who would have her own wedding soon.

When Doris was satisfied the bridesmaids were positioned correctly, she placed the maid of honor just behind them and then began to patiently instruct the little boy and girl who were ring bearer and flower girl.

Joline looked back at her dearest friend and said, “Just think, Lin … when Frank and I get married in a couple of weeks, you’ll be an old married woman by then.”

Linda Forrest giggled.

Her father put on a sad face and said, “It’s hard enough to think of my little girl as a bride, Joline, but to realize she will be the
matron
of honor in your wedding is almost too much to bear.”

“Oh, Daddy,” Linda said, “you’re glad to get me grown up, married, and out of the house, and you know it!”

Nolan glanced at his other daughter, Janet, who was Linda’s maid of honor. “It was difficult enough when you moved out of the house into your own apartment, Janet, and I have hopes that you’ll come back and live at home. But its even more difficult with your little sister. Marriage to Lewis will take her away permanently.”

Janet was two years older than Linda. Although the sisters were about the same size, the similarity ended there. Janet’s hair was blond; Linda’s was a deep auburn. Janet could be considered pretty, but Linda was beautiful. And there were strong differences in personality and their approach to life.

Even as Nolan Forrest finished speaking, a sour look came over Janet’s face that told her father she would never live under his roof again.

The low tones of the pump organ barely seeped through the closed double doors leading to the auditorium.

Linda slipped her hand into the crook of her father’s arm and gave it a comforting squeeze. Janet’s father and mother had been deeply hurt when their elder daughter, at twenty years of age, had moved out of the Forrest house. She had been gone for two years, and had come by the house maybe four or five times since moving out.

The Forrests knew that one of the reasons Janet had moved out was to get away from what she termed “the boring life of church people.” Her life choices were so at odds with the way she had been raised that she no longer had anything in common with her family. All they knew about her life was that she worked a job in downtown Boston and spent her free time in drinking establishments and other places of ill repute.

Linda had chosen Janet as her maid of honor strictly to please her parents. Yet her heart was heavy for her only sister, whom she wanted to be saved.

Doris Stanford nodded at the two ushers waiting in the vestibule, indicating they should open the double doors. Immediately the pump organs volume increased, moving into “The Wedding March.”

“All right, girls,” Doris whispered to the bridesmaids, “go.”

Linda caught the miserable look on Janet’s face as she turned to face forward and started down the aisle.

As Linda brought up the rear with her father, her eyes went to her mother standing at the second pew on the left-hand side. Next to her was Aunt Beth Chalmers, who had lovingly made Linda’s wedding dress.

Her gaze shifted to the platform where Pastor Lloyd Stanford stood, holding his small black-covered wedding manual. Then her eyes focused on Lewis Carter.

He is so handsome!
she thought.
And he’s all mine! Oh, we’re going to be so happy together!

The groomsmen met the bridesmaids and the maid of honor one by one and escorted them up the steps to the platform. They spread out, facing the preacher at an angle.

Lewis Carter gave one nervous glance at Linda’s father, then set his gaze on Linda, who warmed him with a loving smile.

Just as Nolan and his daughter came to a halt, the organs volume lowered.

“All right,” said the pastor, “you’ve all done real well, just as Mrs. Stanford instructed you. Linda, at this point you will let go of your daddy’s arm and let him take hold of your right hand. I will then say, ‘Who gives this woman to be married to this man?’ Nolan, you will speak loud enough for everyone in the church to hear you and say, ‘Her mother and I do,’ then place Linda’s hand into Lewis’s.”

“Then I’ll kiss your cheek through the veil, Daddy,” Linda said.

Nolan nodded, and Doris Stanford—who had come down the aisle behind them—continued her instructions. “At this point, Nolan, you will turn and take your place beside Adrienne, there in the second pew.”

The pastor spoke up. “Linda and Lewis, when Nolan is in place, I will nod to you, and you will come up the steps together. And Linda … let me caution you, tomorrow night you will be in your long wedding dress. You’ll have to lift the front of the dress a bit as you mount the platform steps to avoid tripping on it.”

“I’ll remember,” Linda assured him.

“Come on up,” said the pastor.

As the bridal couple moved up the steps, the pastor said, “Of course, tomorrow night there will be a white lattice arch here, and you two will
stand directly under it during the ceremony.”

As Linda and Lewis stood attentively before him, the pastor said, “First, I will make some opening remarks about marriage being instituted by God in the Garden of Eden. You will recall that in our last counseling session, we agreed I would quote from Ecclesiastes chapter three, verses one, two, and eight: ’To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die … A time to love …”

Stanford ran his gaze over the faces of the wedding party and said, “I will then point out that God has loved the human race from the time He created Adam and Eve, but His special ‘time to love’ was when He gave His precious Son on the cross of Calvary so that sinners could be saved. After I give a clear presentation of the gospel, I will turn the attention of the audience to the love that Linda and Lewis have for each other. As they become husband and wife, their special ‘time to love’ has come.”

Standing nearby were the deacon chairman, Ed Diamond, and his wife, Frances. The Diamonds were close friends of Nolan and Adrienne Forrest, and were having the rehearsal dinner for the wedding party at their house.

“That’s beautiful, Pastor,” Diamond said. “I’ve never heard you use that particular Scripture passage in a wedding ceremony before.”

Stanford smiled. “I thought it fit Linda and Lewis so perfectly. It’s certainly evident they’re head over heels in love.”

Lewis let a slight smile curve his lips as Linda looked into his eyes and squeezed his arm.

When the pastor had concluded his instructions about the ceremony, Ed Diamond spoke up again. “Okay, everybody, let’s all go to my house. Grandmas got the fancy dinner just about ready, I’m sure.”