My beloved aunt, after whom my parents named me, Elsa Verhoef, wrote this beautiful note to us after our wedding.
"I had a farm in Africa ..." sê Meryl Streep in Out of Africa.
I WITNESSED THE BIRTH OF A MARRIAGE IN THE KAROO...en ek ervaar net soveel passie en verwagting van hierdie gebeurtenis op Boschluyskloof in die majestieuse Seweweekspoort.
Beslis het ek 'n voordeel bo die ander gaste gehad. Vanaf Dinsdag kon ek begin leef in die dampkring van twee mense wat mekaar WIL verstaan, WIL liefhê, 'n mooi toekoms WIL bou.
WAT 'n bederf!
Daar was soveel mooi op Boschluyskloof.
Gerard en Ans, die eienaars, is unieke mense wat nie omgee vir harde werk nie en die ekstra (10) myl met entoesiasme te loop nie. Hulle weet meesterlik om spesialis mense te ontgin. "Multi tasking" en bronne benutting kry by hulle die absolute betekenis.
Toe ons begin uitpak aan wit en geel, oranje, blou en pienk papier lanterns het die opgewondenheid en verwagtinge begin kriewel. Hier moet ek myself vasvat om nie te verdwaal in die detail van kunstig uitgedinkte planne wat gestalte gekry het in bont lekkergoed, gedrukte servette en parmantige papier uitsnysels van verliefdes, duifies, bokke en windpompe nie. Die glasklokke het elkeen sy eie storie statig afgewys en alles was so mooi gehul in vrolike kerslig en wiegende wit lanterns.
Ek onthou: al die vrolike gesigte, die goedheid-gevoel wat ons almal omvou het. Ons almal WOU vir Louis en Elsje gelukkig sien - dis waarvoor ons gebid het.
WOW ..... en wat 'n prentjie het die twee gemaak!! Louis in sy kraakwit linnepak met kenmerkende oop glimlag en Elsje stylvol met geelgoud bedruip en 'n glimlag wat alles sê.
Die seremonie opgehef deur Lood se inspirerende tjello voordrag, wyse woorde en sagte saambind van twee liefdes strome, was vir my heilig.
Die omgee vir mekaar, die simplistiese rykheid van die omgewing, die gedagtes deel wat diep uit jou binneste los gewoel het, was 'n oase vir 'n siel. Dit het jou gevul met soveel wakker entoesiasme vir die nuwe jaar dat jy die borrels byna tasbaar kon aanraak.
P.J. se kos was verruklik en alles was byna 'n oordaad van skeppende idees van kruie en spys en aromas van heeeeeerlike genot.
Dan 'n uitroep teken oor die hele gebeurtenis - die terugreis tussen oopgekloofde graniet, spekbos en doringboom en in jou hart die wete : God is hier teenwoordig ! DIT is wat daar tussen die bruin Karoo koppe so spesiaal was. Die belewenis van liefde en verwagtinge en bereidheid om daarvoor te werk, was toe al die tyd geseën met die Groot Teenwoordigheid.
Die troue moes juis dáár voltrek word, die belewenis móés oor 'n paar dae gestrek het, want dáár is ek deurweek met 'n ander entoesiasme en aanvaarding van die lewe self. George het vir Louis en Elsje gesê : " Rest in your marriage ...:"
Rest in your situation, want God is daar teenwoordig en Hy is in beheer.
Dankie vir die ervaring !
t. Elsa
I start with a tingle, a kind of feeling of the story I will write. Then come the characters, and they take over, they make the story.” Karen Blixen
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Dear Mr and Mrs Van Niekerk, Louis and Elsje,
It was on the top of the mountains, under the clear and spotless skies of the Karoo, as the gentle breeze playfully ruffled the skirt and the beauty of the bride, that we who ascended the mountain to behold the uniting of your lives to each other, could not help but have a feeling of beholding a transfiguration, taking that which was ordinary in our lives and changing it into the extraordinary. Our spirits were lifted on high as our hearts, our minds and our eyes beheld what love can do. And as I glanced at the unity of spirit of we who had ascended the mountain with you, I am bold to say that in our silence we all said, “God, it is good for us to be here; and let us make temples and remain on the mountain.”
To the lamentation of everyone, our joy began to mingle with the sadness of having to depart and descend to our daily, ordinary living in this world.
On the top of the mountain and under the skies of the Karoo you have had a foretaste of that Kingdom of love, joy and peace.
I love you Elsje, I love you Louis,
George
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Louis and I chose the Karoo - not because both of us are actually from there - but because of its simplicity, its beauty. After 10 years in the wedding industry, I've seen it all, done it all. This time round, I wanted something stripped, plain, touched by God and pure. Simplicity, no frills or fuss, just surrounded by wildlife, kudus grazing in the distance, the wind sweeping our hair and absolutely no man made decor. We wanted the openness, the beauty of our gloriously stunning country. Which reminds me yet again of Karen Blixen's words:
“If I know a song of Africa, of the giraffe and the African new moon lying on her back, of the plows in the fields and the sweaty faces of the coffee pickers, does Africa know a song of me? Will the air over the plain quiver with a color that I have had on, or the children invent a game in which my name is, or the full moon throw a shadow over the gravel of the drive that was like me, or will the eagles of the Ngong Hills look out for me?”
It was a day touched by love. It surpassed my wildest dreams. And I am blessed beyond words with someone as special as Louis. I carry my new surname with excitement and pride.
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