” A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” This passage from Ecclesiastes 4:12 has proven itself time and again in my adult life. I look at my three girls and the bond they have together as sisters. Any given moment one is antagonizing the other or stealing their clothes. But when life gets messy, with impending deployments, death of a loved one, facing a new school and new friends, or even formulating a debate on why our family neeeeeeeds a puppy (they won the debate!), they are tighter than ever, pulling through the craziness together. While I would never wish the time away, I can only imagine their adult friendship will be more tightly interwoven.

Then, of course, it represents the strands that have held Matt and I together after all these years. God holds that third strand and quite honestly there have been times that Matt and I have been holding on to that one strand for dear life, for without it we would have surely unraveled. It’s in those darkest of times, when you don’t think you have the strength to hold on any longer, that you realize just how strong those strings really are.

I was asked to create this piece for our dear friend, Tiana’s wedding this weekend. I found a shallow wooden box and Matt and I made the cross out of recycled barn wood, staining it a rustic deep cherry color for contrast. We created the braid so that the bride and groom could take it apart and braid it together during the ceremony if they wished. We used vintage box head nails to complete the look.

Tiana, may God be at the center of your marriage this weekend and always, and may His love continue to bind you together as one throughout your marriage.