It is difficult to find the words to express the joy I am feeling this morning, but I am going to try. On Friday night, our son Daniel married his long-time love, Susan. They have been together for nearly a decade and a big wedding may have seemed like an unnecessary thing to many...but it was a priceless gift they gave to our family and friends and a whole community of Chicagoans. Present at this celebration were four generations of two families who ranged in age from five weeks to 85 years, and many of the amazing friends who have been part of Dan and Susan's lives since childhood. The celebration would not have been complete without Dan and Susan's newer network of friends, most of whom are part of the Chicago music and theater community.
When you choose a life partner, you want someone who will make you a better person. What is clear about this couple is how they inspire and encourage each other as artists and human beings. But what is even more special is how they inspire everyone around them. Their love for each other seems to wrap around us all. Messages from their friends on their big day included photos of them when they first became a couple and thanks for how they make others feel. When you are around Susan and Daniel, you somehow feel like you can take on the world. Oh, and you laugh. A lot. So, this wedding was truly a reflection of all of that. We laughed and loved and sang and danced and played games and just enjoyed being present.
The wedding vows were like none I have ever heard. Susan noted that she knows Dan gets cranky when he's hungry, so she brought Oreos. The officiant pulled them out of his pocket and handed them to the groom. And yes, he did eat one right in the middle of the ceremony and then shared the rest with his grandparents. Dan compared their love to a doughnut. Thankfully he left the doughnuts at home. Susan said she was more sure about this than anything else. She promised to be patient and share Daniel's dreams as if they were her own and to love him to infinity and beyond. Daniel noted it was interesting that she said "infinity and beyond" because he had Buzz Lightyear tissues in his pocket. He promised to love and encourage Susan, to take out the trash, and to remember it is okay to be silent sometimes. Ceremony music included "Golly What a Day" (rewritten as a wedding song) from the animated Disney film Robin Hood, complete with spoons and a kazoo. The "reading" at the wedding was the story of the couple's history, told by Susan's brother Phillip, including quotes from family members and the bridal party. Following the ceremony was a wonderful, fun party with lots of music and laughter, comfort food and pie. At the end of the evening, the couple left with about half of the guests on a big yellow school bus that provided transportation from the venue to the train.
Now I am feeling such contentment that I simply cannot describe. How does life get any better than this? We got to have most of our family and friends under one roof to share a moment together with a loving couple who just permeate the world around them with love, kindness and joy. Golly what a day.
When you choose a life partner, you want someone who will make you a better person. What is clear about this couple is how they inspire and encourage each other as artists and human beings. But what is even more special is how they inspire everyone around them. Their love for each other seems to wrap around us all. Messages from their friends on their big day included photos of them when they first became a couple and thanks for how they make others feel. When you are around Susan and Daniel, you somehow feel like you can take on the world. Oh, and you laugh. A lot. So, this wedding was truly a reflection of all of that. We laughed and loved and sang and danced and played games and just enjoyed being present.
The wedding vows were like none I have ever heard. Susan noted that she knows Dan gets cranky when he's hungry, so she brought Oreos. The officiant pulled them out of his pocket and handed them to the groom. And yes, he did eat one right in the middle of the ceremony and then shared the rest with his grandparents. Dan compared their love to a doughnut. Thankfully he left the doughnuts at home. Susan said she was more sure about this than anything else. She promised to be patient and share Daniel's dreams as if they were her own and to love him to infinity and beyond. Daniel noted it was interesting that she said "infinity and beyond" because he had Buzz Lightyear tissues in his pocket. He promised to love and encourage Susan, to take out the trash, and to remember it is okay to be silent sometimes. Ceremony music included "Golly What a Day" (rewritten as a wedding song) from the animated Disney film Robin Hood, complete with spoons and a kazoo. The "reading" at the wedding was the story of the couple's history, told by Susan's brother Phillip, including quotes from family members and the bridal party. Following the ceremony was a wonderful, fun party with lots of music and laughter, comfort food and pie. At the end of the evening, the couple left with about half of the guests on a big yellow school bus that provided transportation from the venue to the train.
Now I am feeling such contentment that I simply cannot describe. How does life get any better than this? We got to have most of our family and friends under one roof to share a moment together with a loving couple who just permeate the world around them with love, kindness and joy. Golly what a day.
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