Congratulation to Beth Wilkes of Alabama & Dorcie Tracy of Oregon. They are the winners of Leigh Anne’s book. Thanks to all who entered. 

The wedding was perfect in every way. Lovely flowers. Lovely dress. Lovely bride.

Their church family was there. The cousins came, too. It was a big-to-do. This wedding. This love of theirs. Jennifer’s mama and daddy couldn’t have been more proud, more happy. It is the dream of parents  who have had good marriages and even those who have had not so good marriages. That their children will grow up and find lasting love, a companion, somebody to share in the joys and the trials.

You know how it goes. Love will double your joys and halve your sorrows. We might be liberated and all that, but still, we cling to the notion of lasting love. And it does happen. It happens all the time. People fall in love. They marry. They have babies. They love each other through the late night feedings, the early morning risings, the overdue bills, the Little League games, the tooth-fairy visits, the Honey-Do lists, and Baby-Don’t admonishments. Somewhere in-between the planting of tulip bulbs and leaf-blowing chores, between tearful deployments and joyous homecomings, they create a love that transcends heartache and headache, a love that glows not just in memory but in the very present moment.

I’ve known such love. Perhaps you have, too. If you are very, very lucky and work hard enough, and pray even harder, perhaps you, too, will be the partner in such a story.That was certainly Jennifer’s intention when she stood before that preacher man, in front of God and her entire circle of loved ones, and promised to love, honor and cherish the man who stood before her.

What his intentions were is anybody’s guess.

It’s hard to imagine that even as he was promising to love, honor and cherish his wife, he could have been drafting that speech he would deliver to her hours later, the one in which he told her he didn’t want to be married to her after all.

He wanted an annulment.

Sometimes love isn’t enough. Sometimes it doesn’t last. Sometimes all of our dreams turn out to be our worst nightmares. Jennifer’s mama, the lovely Leigh Anne Hoover of Kingsport, Tennessee has penned an account of her daughter’s story. I have to tell you, when I first heard it, I kept thinking how lucky Jennifer was to be alive. Must be the crime reporter in me. Still, what newlywed expects to hear the words: I want an annulment? 

I have a couple of copies of Leigh Anne’s book to give away. Leave your name below and I’ll draw for them next week.

Karen Spears Zacharias is author of Mother of Rain (Mercer Univ. Press).