Heidi's Wedding

My sister Heidi Mebes got married today to Shawn Hastings in the Colville City Park. The ceremony was followed by a beautiful reception in Kettle Falls.

Heidi's wedding stirred powerful emotions in me; more than I expected. The last time we had all gathered with that side of the family, my father was still living. If he had been alive today, he would have been so happy for Heidi. No doubt, he would have had some wise crack during the toasts, followed by the words of a proud father. As the "heir" to Ed Moses, I felt his presence overwhelmingly. They had not planned for me to speak, but I felt compelled to represent my father and sing a blessing for the new couple. I could not keep the tears from streaming down my face.

I asked Heidi to pose for this picture, for old times sake. It reminds me of when she was a little girl and we all went up into the mountains to pick huckleberries. We stopped in a high meadow near the summit and watched as Heidi and Kim picked wildflowers. With just a little bit of tomboy energy, they reached in with their hands and tore out fistfulls of flowers, but I convinced them to stage a photograph with a more delicate and picturesque setting. They carefully draped the flowers in their arms and looked like a post card from the Swiss Alps. I could almost hear the "Sound of Music" echoing in the valley below. We laugh about that now.

Our brother Mark gave her away at the altar.

Mark and Heidi are my step-brother and sister. When our parents were together, we made many wonderful trips to Canada and other places in the Pacific Northwest. I have many happy memories with them in Kettle Falls with my dad.