On Sunday afternoon, in a Summerland vineyard overlooking Okanagan Lake, Kim and I pledged our love for each other.
We had expressed our love before, but this day was different. We were joined by family and friends, including some who had travelled far in order to be with us as we made our vows.
It was a special moment worth celebrating.
Our wedding day was perfect, and the moment in the vineyard is one we will always cherish. But it wasn’t perfect simply because of the warm, sunny weather, the picturesque lakefront setting or even the people who had chosen to share in this day with us.
Instead, the day was special because this was the moment we had chosen to make our lifelong commitment to each other.
Our vows were a declaration of love, a commitment to faithfulness and a promise to journey together.
While Kim and I have known and appreciated each other for more than a decade, it wasn’t until three years ago, at a concert in Summerland, when things changed for us and love began to develop.
Since that evening, my life has been nothing short of amazing. I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of discovering a wonderful person I want by my side forever.
Shortly after we started dating, we posted a selfie, taken from a scenic spot, halfway up the paved path in Giant’s Head Mountain Park.
This picture means a lot to me. It shows us happy together and it reminds me we are on an amazing journey together. Sometimes the road isn’t easy and sometimes there’s a big hill along the way, but it’s a road we walk together. And that makes it worthwhile.
This past year, on Christmas Day, I asked Kim to marry me. When she said yes, it was the best gift I have ever received.
Falling in love was something I had not expected.
I had been a widower since the fall of 2003 and over the years, I had resigned myself to living alone.
It was a good life for the most part. I was content, able to pursue some interests, and I had some good friends and supportive family.
But I was missing that special person with whom I could share the special moments, celebrate the victories or lean on for support during the difficult periods. Being on my own, during good times or bad times, was when I realized most deeply that I was alone, and at times the accompanying sense of loneliness could be overwhelming.
Life’s better together — much better — and I’ve been reminded of this truth every day for the past three years.
Life’s better with someone wonderful by my side.
Life’s better when we can laugh, celebrate accomplishments, support each other in the low times or simply spend time in each other’s presence.
Life’s better when two of us share in the journey together, even if the road isn’t always easy, and even if there’s a large hill along the way.
And life’s better when we can look back later, see how far we have come, and realize what we have achieved together.
On Sunday, we promised to love each other, to be faithful and to continue this amazing journey.
Together.
And that made it a moment worth celebrating.
John Arendt is the editor of the Summerland Review.