There and Back Again

Listening to: The Scientist (Coldplay)
Pondering: Marriage is the most natural state of man, and the state in which you will find solid happiness. (Benjamin Franklin)

It was the most beautiful wedding ever! I bet everyone says that about a friend or loved one’s wedding. I know I’m saying it about Julie and her beau Steve’s wedding.

It was a glorious afternoon to get married. The weather was beautiful with just a hint of fall in the breeze. The bride wore a beautiful white dress, the groom the traditional tux; the bridesmaids wore the prettiest purple and the groomsmen all looked so dapper. The guests wore hats and scarves and sweaters over flowery summer dresses, smiling from ear to ear, beaming with joy for these two lovely souls.

Julie walked down the aisle to the tune of The Love Theme from the Princess Bride, her favorite movie. I cried when she walked down the aisle, as did everyone else. My friend looked like a fairy tale princess, indeed. They both exited the altar, now husband and wife, while Sarah Brightman crooned an Italian song in the background about the moon.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t stick around long enough for the reception but I know it was twice as lovely as the ceremony. I, however, managed to stay long enough to flip through the small, giveaway books they had on the guest tables. On one of these, I found the perfect passage to summarize my best wishes for Julie and Steve:

Slainte!
May the frost never afflict your spuds,
May the outside leaves of your cabbage
Always be free from worms.
May the cows never pick your haystack
And may your donkey always be in a foal.

May you have warm words on a cold evening
A full moon on a dark night
And a smooth road all the way to your door…