Hattie (The Wedding)

I like what Carol wrote in the previous blog post: by remembering a lost son’s wedding and showing us the pictures, Hattie really did find a way to regain a happy moment in time. Hattie passed around pictures of her son before reading the story below, and as the story progressed, the smile on her face kept spreading. But then, when she was done, she told us some bad news: her son passed away just five years after his wedding. As the words left her lips, a giant sadness cast over her face. But just for a second. And then she added, “It was such a nice wedding. I was soooo happy.” Her smile returned, wider than before.

Hattie Lee Ellerbe
The Wedding
2/4/2010

It was August 26, 1985 and the whole house was filled with relatives from out of town, local family members and friends. One of the Ellerbe boys, Hursey and Hattie's son, was getting married. It was to be a large church wedding, just like Mommy and Daddy's. The groomsmen were handsome in their formal wear and ready to head for the church. The groom was outstanding.

Many of the guests were not sure which son was getting married and waited anxiously as the music started. Minister Gerald Spratt and my niece, Minister Laverne Settles Chapman, sang Endless Love and shook the rafters. They didn’t make rehearsals but they were perfect together.

Meanwhile the groom and the best man posed in an ante room for a last minute photo as a “single man.” As they walked out into the sanctuary many exclaimed excitedly, “Kevin is getting married.” (That’s another story.)

Debbie came down the isle radiant, beautiful and beaming with her father escorting her. They were married.

Fast forward… they danced the night away, I was soooo happy!