I survived… and made it to the wedding!

I was able to catch my flight out of Chennai and made it back to Hyderabad safely, although my counterpart at this point was on his way to Rajasthan for a much-deserved and much-needed vacation. I was again on my own, but at least his driver again proved his reliability. I arrived in Hyderabad around 5pm and within 12 hours would be flying back to the U.S. With an upset stomach, the thought of packing my bags and leaving for the airport at 1am was less than thrilling. I did manage to get some sleep after I got home and then rallied to make it to the airport in the middle of a torrential downpour. Have I mentioned that it rains here like nowhere I’ve ever been? It’s absolutely amazing to see how much rain can fall from the sky. I wonder if God is taking a shower over India or something because it’s like He’s turned on the shower full blast and we’re on the receiving end! By the grace of God, we did make it back to the airport and I did make my flight out. I did manage to make it through the rest of my journey, albeit a bit uncomfortable. I was very exhausted upon my arrival in Denver and my patience was running thin when I found that none of my family was answering their phones! I expected the worst, as they had no way to communicate with me and I apparently had no way to get through to them. Again, by the grace of God, my sister found me much to my relief.

The ensuing days went by faster than I could have imagined as it was a whirlwind of preparation for the wedding. It was wonderful to spend so much quality time with family. I was able to show my grandfather, a couple aunts and an uncle around my old stomping grounds (the Air Force Academy). While I was disappointed that the cadets didn’t march to lunch, I did enjoy the A-10 flyover. It was a beautiful day with a lovely blue, Colorado sky and puffy white clouds to boot. My bald head didn’t particularly appreciate the sun, but that’s nothing new… After the AFA tour, we took a little drive through the Garden of the Gods and Manitou Springs. Oh, how I miss that fresh Colorado air and that beautiful part of God’s creation! It was also such a blessing to be with family. My grandfather made the long trek out from Illinois with the help of my aunt and uncle and that made everything even more special. In addition to all the family time and wedding prep, we managed to do a lot of work at my parent’s house. They needed to get rid of some furniture and we were pretty successful in that endeavor! Moving on to the highlight of the trip, my sister’s wedding…

First, I must say that it is with much joy that I welcome a brother to the Urish family. My sister has married someone whom I greatly respect and admire. He is a man of God who is bright, yet humble. He is thoughtful and tender-hearted, but also confident and courageous. I am thankful that God has brought him into my sister’s life and into our lives as well! He comes from a large family, so it was fun to meet all of the clan.

The setting for the wedding was quite impressive as it was held at Glen Eyrie, which is a castle built at the base of the mountains, nestled in a little valley near the Garden of the Gods. The rehearsal went smoothly with my dad officiating, though I had my doubts about how he would hold up for the real thing! The rehearsal dinner was great too as I got to meet a number of the new in-laws. While the time with my sister was pretty limited, she was constantly glowing especially on the day of the wedding. She looked absolutely stunning, gorgeous, and beautiful. I have not seen the pictures, but I’m confident that they turned out lovely as the weather was cooperative and the location was perfect. The ceremony went quite well and surprisingly enough my dad kept it together. At one point, he even made a gesture to wipe away a tear of joy from my sister’s face. It was a moment I will not forget, just as I will not forget seeing the two of them together for the father-daughter dance. I will interject for a moment to say that the food at the reception was really great and it was fun to catch up with some old friends. God is sooo good. As for the rest of my time in Colorado, I did get to see my grandmother who is such a wonderfully encouraging and loving woman. She has expressed her love, care and compassion in so many ways over the years. I am so fortunate to have been influenced by someone who is so special. I’m thankful that God has blessed me with such a wonderful family and now I look forward to the adventure ahead as we have added one more to the team!