Jus and Susan's big day

Like so many things my brother Jus has dared in his time, his marriage to Susan was always going to defy expectations. The bride wore redthe groom was in blue and the bride's dad sported both at Sue's request for Melbourne Football Club colours. Our brother Luke was still in hospital, so we headed off via Warringal so the boys could wish each other well. Pooks was a trooper, getting up for the first time in days - and yes, that's his bedcurtain in the background of our photos, flanked by my Aunt Cheryl, who flew in from Perth, and my darling cousin Bennie, who stood in admirably as best man.

The church in Blackburn had for years been frequented by Susan's beloved Grandma Kath, and the congregation turned out in droves to offer congratulations and a fine spread for the nuptials of a special little girl who so clearly captured their hearts throughout her growing up. Their generosity was amazing: even the church was decked out in flowers in Melbourne Demons' colours, almost impossible to find in autumn.

Sue wowed us with her poise, and her gracious speech delivered entirely without notes. Jus and Sue's Dad, Mal, both overcame their reluctance for public speaking to welcome one another to their families. I remember my gorgeous pal Rich saying at his engagement that he couldn't remember ever feeling quite so loved by so many people, as he and Trine looked about the room at their party, and I couldn't help thinking of them as I contemplated just how much love was in that room that day.

Mid afternoon we adjourned to my Mum's, where I was overwhelmed by the turnout of family and friends, united perhaps by a nervousness at the very grownup steps Jus and Sue are taking, but just as bound by a shared determination to respect their right to try, and to celebrate their determination to walk this shared path.
My head was spinning as I moved among cousins who were babies when I left for England and are now small boys, aunts and family friends who had known me since the same age, and on to other cousins I'd not seen in nearly a decade (when they were barely teens!). We exchanged major news and milestones at lighting pace, but mostly just revelled in a sense of satisfaction that, despite the copious quirks, hurdles and tricky shite that life seems to send our way, all present were in health and at peace with their place in the world. That's no mean feat among our lot.

We missed the absent friends: grandparents, Mikko, and Big Chris - my aunt Dee's partner who had battled cancer and slipped away as the tide turned at dawn just a week before I came home. All have stood Jus's corner in different ways through the years and I know they'd have been proud today.

By evening there was just the nuptial couple, Luke on the phone, and me, mum, Mal and the neighbours around the open fire. We chauffered Jus and Sue off to the B&B we'd found for their wedding night, whose landlady 'got it' about the kids' big night in and was warm and welcoming and made sure they had a lovely brekkie the next morning. We're still eating our way through the leftovers and mum will go sharing the left behind booze with guests for some weeks.

I can't quite believe my week at home is nearly over. I have shared some special moments with family and friends, and couldn't possibly have crammed any more in, and yet it's not nearly been enough. I'm already looking forward to the next time I come home.