Friday, December 28, 2007

We Are Gathered Here Together....

Thing 1 and I went to a very lovely wedding today. (The bride has been Thing 1's Girl Guide leader for lo these many years, and also comes to me to get her hair done.)
It's nice to go to a wedding that's not all about colour of the bridesmaids shoes or the size of the ice sculpture or the bride using the day as an excuse to become a demanding, petulant shrew. There were no "signature cocktails", no personalized water bottle labels or stupid "themes". (Once I saw a tv show about weddings where the bride and groom idea for a theme was "The Civil War". I kid you not. They had the big hoop skirts for all the women, guests included, and the men all wore grey or blue uniforms and they got married at some big antebellum mansion in the south. How on earth a war seemed to be a suitable theme for a wedding, I have no idea. I wonder if there were any black guests, hmm? And how did they feel about that? While we're on the subject, why do you need a "theme" for a wedding, anyway? Doesn't a wedding come with a built-in theme already? Like, a wedding?)
Anyway, the wedding was very nice, with the bride and groom being two very nice, very grown up adults who appeared to be absolutely delighted with themselves and each other. It was nice to see.
During the ceremony, which was brief and to the point (gotta hand it to those economical Presbyterians!) we sang one hymn, which was Christmassy, "Angels We Have Heard On High", the one with all the "glo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-oo-o-oria" bits. Well doesn't this guy in the row ahead and a bit to our left bust out with the most amazing, rich tenor voice! You could see people all over the church getting a bit of a start and raising their eyebrows and turning to see who it was. He was fabulous. (I was hoping people would think it was me.)
I love to sing, and am terrible at it. But what I lack in talent I can make up for in enthusiasm. One of the reasons I kind of like going to church is because it's the one place where I can sing as loud as I like and nobody can stop me. ("I can still hate it, though", said Thing 1.)
After the ceremony, we went home and resumed our normal routine, and I thought of those two, nice people who were lucky enough to find each other and start a life together, and who realize that a marriage lasts far longer than a wedding. I wish them the best.

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