Two and a half years ago, our friends Thea and Daniel Yoder commissioned me to do a very special piece for their son and daughter-in-law. Nathanael and Micaela had married not only despite but because of a serious cancer prognosis for Micaela, and his parents wanted to commemorate the civil ceremony (that only the parents attended) with a gift of calligraphy in time for the religious ceremony the following year when more family was able to gather for the occasion. With photos from the first event to reference, Thea asked me to incorporate elements of Mica's bouquet (poppies, roses, eucalyptus, blackberries, etc.) into the overall design. In addition, she wanted me to include key symbols from Nathanael's Mennonite background and Mica's Catholic background as a nod to the heritages that were coming together. She mentioned that Nathanael particularly liked green and blue. And she suggested using the blessing in Numbers 6:24-26 with which the Yoders had regularly ended their family worship on Fridays when all the children were home.
Thankfully, family and friends were able to share a beautiful weekend in Canada celebrating the marriage, and the groom's ordained sister officiated at the wedding. However, we were saddened to learn that Mica passed away in July of 2017.
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