Cherishing those things that really matter

A daughter’s wedding is one of the most special times in life . We were able to enjoy that experience Oct. 5 when daughter Carli married Paul Moore on a beautiful northern California day in the shadows of Mt. Shasta.
    Living a busy life as an E.R. nurse since moving to California a decade ago, she met Paul very early after her move. The ups and downs of life (which included experiencing the Nepal earthquake together in 2015), I believe, helped them realize no situation is perfect or predictable, but the special relationships are worth working for.
    It took some time, but more than a year ago, she said “yes.”
    As we sat and witnessed the ceremony on a beautiful fall day, I couldn’t help but go back in time and remember Carli as a youngster growing up in Imperial. She has always been outgoing, from very early on. Some of her teachers were even concerned about her attention to others—spending more time helping them with homework instead of working on her own. I would never say she was distracted, but she’s always had concern for others, a big reason why she was attracted to the field of nursing.
    We listened to the testimonials from their friends during the wedding weekend and the giving hearts they both have was mentioned more than once. I think that trait is strongly enhanced while growing up in a small town.
    Most of her West Coast time was spent in San Francisco, but now she has returned to her roots, so to speak. Mt. Shasta is a town about the size of Imperial, and she and Paul love everything about it—he’s from a small town, too. We’ve been to Mt. Shasta several times, and I can tell you, the friendliness and personal connections remind me so much of here.
    I’m an Omaha native, but I give high marks to small town life, even though small towns also have issues, bad actors and controversies, which seem to have hit a plateau lately here in Imperial.
    But, like a marriage, getting along and solving problems takes work. Isn’t a marriage, and your community, worth it?
    Saying “Congratulations” to Carli and Paul hardly measures up to the occasion, or represents a mother’s feelings. All a parent ever wants is for their children to find happiness from those things that really matter—love, God and family.