Love and Marriage at Pennswood Village
“Things might have been different if we had lifeguarded at the same pool that summer,” Jim mused, as he smiled at his new wife Carolyn. She smiled back, bright blue eyes twinkling. Despite the country being in the middle of a global pandemic, seventy-somethings Carolyn Azubah Peters-Eckel and James Cope Michener married each other recently at their home at Pennswood Village.
Carolyn explained that she and Jim have known each other all their lives. They grew up together in Bryn Gweled Homesteads, an intentional cooperative community in Upper Southampton, PA. Carolyn described them playing together as kids, “bouncing around the woods.” Jim remembers them taking swimming and dancing classes together. They even dated briefly as teenagers, attending Jim’s senior prom at George School. But then they both went off to different colleges, and as often happens they drifted apart. They both married other people; Jim lived in the greater Boston area and Carolyn moved back to Bryn Gweled to raise her family.
They remained friendly over the years, but saw each other infrequently, mostly at Bryn Gweled reunions that were held every five to ten years. Sadly, both of their marriages ended in divorce. But finding themselves single again, they had the opportunity to rekindle and explore the friendship that had started back at Bryn Gweled. They began a long distance relationship, and as they became closer, Jim left Boston to be nearer to Carolyn. In January 2019 they became Pennswood Village residents.
On New Year's Eve 2019, Jim hinted to Carolyn that he had something important to ask her that night. She could think of only one important question, and she knew how she would answer. That evening in a very public setting, Jim asked Carolyn to marry him, and of course, she responded with a resounding yes.
The wedding was to be held under the care of and take place at Southampton Friends Meeting. The wedding date was set for Friday, June 26. This coincided nicely with the Michener family reunion that was scheduled for the next day. Everything was proceeding according to plan – that is until March when the pandemic struck. Pennswood Village went into lockdown. Event after event was cancelled, including the Michener family reunion. Jim and Carolyn wondered if they should cancel the wedding as well.
But after careful discernment, they decided that the wedding would go on as scheduled, just with a few changes. With some savvy tech support from a fellow Pennswood resident, Jim and Carolyn were married before God, with two attending witnesses, and about 100 friends and family from all over the country attending on Zoom. The ceremony was later uploaded to YouTube. Everyone could see how very much in love they were.
In the two months since the wedding, lockdown restrictions have eased. One day, when it is safe to travel, Carolyn and Jim would like to have a honeymoon, perhaps traveling to upstate New York to have a celebration with Carolyn’s cousins. “Who knows, we may even take a trip to Niagara Falls. It’s not that far away” Carolyn said with a smile.