TRUE LOVE REALLY DOES EXIST!

Don't you just love weddings?

Like so many thousands around the globe, my daughter and I were glued to the television on Friday night, to watch the Royal Wedding.  Such a beautiful couple, Cate & Will, and so clearly in love with each other!

A photo snapped on my iPhone

But why are so many multitudes interested in their love story?

Another photo snapped on my iPhone

Because we all live in the hope that "true love really does exist".  These are the words that were held up on signs in the crowd in London, and I realised that this is exactly what all the hype was about.  This "fairytale" wedding is a symbol of the hope of all people, I imagine...that this "happily ever after" experience will be for everyone.  Some of us are living it right now, some of us have lost it and are trying to regain it, whilst others are still searching for it...but it's LOVE that we're all drawn to.

And that's my excuse for watching it :)

To join in the festivities, I was thinking of getting out my wedding dress and wearing it while we watched, but I really don't think it will still fit me, so I made traditional English scones instead.  That was something we could all enjoy (although I'm sure my family would have enjoyed watching me try to squeeze into my wedding dress)...

The scones were inspired by my gorgeous blogger friend, Jen Perillo from New York; and I adapted her yummy recipe from her blog, In Jennie's Kitchen...

Royal Wedding Scones

Makes 10 large scones

½ cup milk

1 free-range egg

1 cup wholemeal self raising flour

1 cup white self raising flour

Extra flour for dusting under pastry

1/4 cup castor sugar (I use xylitol natural sweetener)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

75g cold unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces

Preheat the oven to 210ºC. Line a rimmed baking tray with baking paper, and set aside.

Using a fork, lightly beat the milk and egg together in a small bowl; set aside.

Add the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt to a deep mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Add the butter and rub together with your fingers, until it forms a sandy-looking texture with some pebble-sized pieces. Pour in the milk-egg mixture, and use a wooden spoon to stir together until it forms a crumbly-looking dough.

Knead the dough in the bowl a few times until it forms a solid piece. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter. Knead it once or twice to give the dough a smoother appearance. Using your fingertips, press the dough out into a 1/2-inch thick circle. Dip a 2 1/2-inch round cutter into flour, and cut out the scones—it’s okay to re-roll and press the dough out again if you need to.

Place the scones on the prepared baking tray, and bake for 10 minutes, or until bottoms are deep golden and the tops are barely tanned-looking. Remove from oven and cool before serving.

Serve with jam and whipped cream.

Back to the Royal Wedding, it was the Bishop's sermon that was a highlight for me, in which he caused me to reflect on the ritual of marriage and its true and divine purpose - that is, to transform two people into one masterpiece.  His words were brilliantly poetic...

"In marriage we are seeking to bring one another into fuller life...Marriage should transform, as husband and wife make one another their work of art".

What a beautiful picture these words conjure up...a masterpiece being created over time...joy, sadness, trials, success...a myriad of the intricacies of life adding to the marriage masterpiece like a colourful mosaic.  I am so mindful that not everyone's marriage experience is blissful, and I am sorry for that.  But I am grateful beyond words that my personal experience continues to be a positive one.  In fact, I have often reminded myself of the blessing of having my parent's marriage as a model and a wonderful legacy...

My Dad & Mum on their wedding day, 8th February 1947

This magnificent message from the Bible, which was read by Kate Middleton's brother at the Royal Wedding, summarises the masterpiece of my parent's marriage...


"Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good;
love one another with mutual affection;
outdo one another in showing honour.
Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.
If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all."  Romans 12: 9-18

The prayer for my life is two-fold:
1.  That my marriage continues to be a masterpiece in the making, so that our children will see it as a legacy and refer to it as a model.
2.  That our children will marry the person God has planned for them, that the two will love and cherish one another all the days of their lives, and that each "marriage masterpiece" will be magnificent!

I thought I would share what I see as a masterpiece in the making - our story in photos...