Quadruple Simchah
A trio of namings follows a reaffirmation of wedding vows
for a Birmingham family.
JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR
Special to The Jewish News
f you had told Mic Austen that
she was going to marry Jim
Austen when she met him in
1986, she probably would have
told you that you were nuts. If you
had told her then that she would
marry,him twice, she definitely would
have doubted your sanity.
But 12 years after they met, the
pair took their second trip down the
aisle, on Sunday, Dec. 13, at Congre-
gation Shir Tikvah in Troy. The reaf-
firmation of their vows as well as a
naming ceremony for their three
daughters — Abigail, Rebecca and
Sarah — was witnessed by the family's
friends and the girls' 120 classmates
from the Troy congregation's supple-
mental school program.
"We are here to have fun. We are
doing this for ourselves," Mic explained.
"I felt cheated that we couldn't have
a formal Jewish ceremony when we
first married, so I am glad we could
have one now.''
The pair met in Zambia at a ranch.
She was on holiday; he was working
there.
She dismissed him as a suitor because
he was five years younger; he knew it
was love at first sight. After several
planned and chance meetings, the pair
separated so Jim could return to Eng-
land to renew a work permit.
"He has always told me that he has
loved me since he first saw me but I did-
n't think much of him then," Mic said.
She kept his dog for him while he
returned to England. When he did
not return after six months as
promised, she placed it in the care of
an American couple when she, too,
returned to England.
"I called him and said, 'I am back,
but your dog is in Zambia."' The dog
stayed there because Jim canceled
plans to return to Zambia in order to
court Mic.
The couple dated for two years.
When she became pregnant with Abigail
10 years ago, they decided to marry.
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1999
50 Detroit Jewish News
Above: Rabbi Arnie Sleutelberg offers
ceremonial wine to Jim and Mic Austen.
"The pregnancy was unplanned, but we
realized we were meant to be together."
A temple would not allow them to
marry in a Jewish ceremony because
Jim was Protestant. The couple mar-
ried hastily in a civil ceremony at the
registry office, without a chuppah,
photographer or bridesmaids.
"I was disappointed, very hormon-
al," Mic said. "This was the man I fell
in love with. I wasn't going to not
marry him because he wasn't Jewish
Three children and seven years
later, the family came to America in
1996 when the Ford Motor Company
transferred Jim. They joined Shir Tik
vah after Abigail said she wanted to
learn Hebrew.
Shortly after, Mic mentioned their
reaffirmation-of-vows idea to Rabbi
Arnie Sleutelberg and Shir Tikvah Fami-
ly Education Director Janet Moses.
Right: Hannah Chad-
wick, Sara Kauf man,
Joelle Hecker and
Emily Kramer were
part of the Shir Tik-
vah audience.
Moses suggested the family have the
affair in front of the school children as a
part of their lessons on life-cycle events.
Daughter Abigail was the reason we got
mat vied when we did and she is the rea-
son we got married again," said Mic.
"We probably wouldn't have done this if
we weren't members of Shir Tikvah."
This time, it was Mic who proposed
the idea of marriage to Jim. "I asked Jim
how he felt about getting married again
and he said, As long as it is to you.'"
The Austens took Moses' suggestion
one step further by having a naming cer-
emony for their daughters. The girls also
served as their mother's bridesmaids.
The affair, however, was bittersweet.
With the conclusion of Jim's three-year
work assignment here, the family returns
to England on Jan. 7. E