Jordan got married !

There are always new defining moments in the lives of your kids. The first tooth, riding a bike, starting school, learning how to drive, going off to college, GETTING MARRIED. So I [Bill] felt a lot older because one of Dan's & Mike's best friends, Jordan, got married this past weekend in PA. [Jordan, Dan, Mike & Adam >]



Dan and Mike were both groomsmen, along with Adam [the 4th musketeer], Jordan's brothers Josh & Jeremy, and 2 other college friends. Jordan and Jana were so helpful and concerned the past few months to make sure Dan's quad status would be
accommodated for the ceremony and reception hall. Thanks.

The wedding ceremony went off without a problem, and we were off to the reception. Sometimes the best plans do get foiled. So the sizable church had one of those stair glide lifts to get to the lower level. We have never been on one of those, but life with Dan is an adventure. Dan rolls on, arms come down around the chair, the ends go up, a lady on some speaker above starts repeating "the lift chair is in use", and so down we creep. Rounding one corner, toward the second ... everything [except the repeating voice] STOPPED. The guy helping us to operate it could only get the lift to go up. So we went up a few stairs, tried to go back down, but no go. We could only go up. No problem. We'll just start over from the top.

We got to the top, Dan rolled back off, the platform folded up, and the system [and finally repeating voice] shut down. Zero, zilch, nada. OH NO, we broke the lift. The church maintenance guy drove over, but confirmed that for some reason it was not going to work. Well, I had Garrett go get some food, and I was trying to not take the whole incident too personally for Dan. I thought we could eat and head back a bit early. The father of the groom and friend, Dan, came up and reported that one side of the church, only had 13 cement steps direct from the parking lot to the reception area.

I explained that Dan was not the problem, it was his 350# chair that was. We ate, heard some intros of the wedding party going on, and I quipped something stupid like, "I guess these things will happen in your life, Dan". When I thought we were ready to depart, the 6 groomsmen and the bride's brother [big military guy] came up the stair well and stated "WE'RE READY TO CARRY DAN DOWN". I tried to explain again about the chair weight and Dan, but they didn't buy it. They wanted Dan to be with them downstairs.

What went on in the next 20 minutes was exactly like the NT story in Mark 2: 3) Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4) Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.

Through brainstorming, we transferred Dan to a small plain wheelchair that they found, then 6 guys lifted and carried Dan's power chair down the 13 stairs. They came back up and 5 guys, lifted Dan [while Garrett was holding Dan's head up] and proceeded down the stairs. Another transfer back into the power chair, lots of straighting of tuxes and wiping brows, and the entourage proceeded into the reception hall.

Yes, it was a defining moment in time, but not because one of the 4 best buds got married, but that many friends did not let a handicap or a failed lift, keep one of them from enjoying life.

Thanks, BIG THANKS, guys for loving a brother.