Yesterday was an amazing day for my friends Jackie and Patrick. It will take me more than one blog entry to write about everything that I observed and connected with on their wedding day. I'll outline what I want to comment on here and then take however many days I need to get through it all. The fact that this will all be about a wedding will then lead into my last entry for my personal vision board. Sometimes it amazes me just how much aspects of my life intertwine.
I'll comment most fully on how the day began. The day began with a run. I know that some people may find this totally crazy. Who starts their wedding day with a run? A run at 6 AM in downtown Baltimore. A run with 100+ friends. A run in which out of town family is invited to attend the run rather than sleeping in on the wedding day--and many of them came. It was incredible. It shows how important running is to both of my friends. It shows how much family embraces the fact that running is important to both of my friends. And it shows just how much the two of them have helped in building up the community of Back on My Feet (running to help with part of recovery) in Baltimore and how that entire community embraces them. It shows how their love of others, their kindness, their helpfulness, their generosity even overflows into their running. It was also the second time I had met Jackie's father after running. It was nice to then be able to meet him after the wedding in the receiving line to show that Jackie's academic advisor does not always look totally winded and sweaty. I haven't run downtown on a Saturday morning with Back on My Feet in quite some time. I forgot that one of the most exciting things about running as part of a community is the chance to meet new people almost every time I am out there.
The things I would like to comment on from the wedding and reception include: seeing Patrick helping his father (who was in a wheelchair) into the chapel; the appropriateness of each of the three readings--they fit perfectly for the two of them representing what I have seen in their lives from my Augustinian prayer life perspective; the appropriateness of all the songs they chose and the ease with which I could sing along with several of them; the wonderful music that drew on instruments including the piano, violin, guitar, bass, and drums in ways that made the mass come alive in ways that I have not seen at other Catholic masses; the fact that Jackie and Patrick served as extraordinary Eucharistic ministers sharing the Blood of Christ with everyone who received communion; the fact that Jackie played the piano part of Pachabel's Canon in D as part of a duet after communion; and the band at the reception.
So many wonderful moments yesterday. For them. For everyone they brought together. For the community of friends and family. A wedding planned down to each amazing detail. A ceremony that I hope others will also remember as representing the couple for whom we were celebrating the beginning of their married life in a way that seemed as close to perfect as I could imagine.
Today will be another wonderful celebration of life--teaching third grade students in St. Pius X's religious education program about the importance of community (including our faith community), having lunch with my parents for a belated celebration of my middle son's 13th birthday, playing bass at mass, and catching up on some work.
I'll comment most fully on how the day began. The day began with a run. I know that some people may find this totally crazy. Who starts their wedding day with a run? A run at 6 AM in downtown Baltimore. A run with 100+ friends. A run in which out of town family is invited to attend the run rather than sleeping in on the wedding day--and many of them came. It was incredible. It shows how important running is to both of my friends. It shows how much family embraces the fact that running is important to both of my friends. And it shows just how much the two of them have helped in building up the community of Back on My Feet (running to help with part of recovery) in Baltimore and how that entire community embraces them. It shows how their love of others, their kindness, their helpfulness, their generosity even overflows into their running. It was also the second time I had met Jackie's father after running. It was nice to then be able to meet him after the wedding in the receiving line to show that Jackie's academic advisor does not always look totally winded and sweaty. I haven't run downtown on a Saturday morning with Back on My Feet in quite some time. I forgot that one of the most exciting things about running as part of a community is the chance to meet new people almost every time I am out there.
The things I would like to comment on from the wedding and reception include: seeing Patrick helping his father (who was in a wheelchair) into the chapel; the appropriateness of each of the three readings--they fit perfectly for the two of them representing what I have seen in their lives from my Augustinian prayer life perspective; the appropriateness of all the songs they chose and the ease with which I could sing along with several of them; the wonderful music that drew on instruments including the piano, violin, guitar, bass, and drums in ways that made the mass come alive in ways that I have not seen at other Catholic masses; the fact that Jackie and Patrick served as extraordinary Eucharistic ministers sharing the Blood of Christ with everyone who received communion; the fact that Jackie played the piano part of Pachabel's Canon in D as part of a duet after communion; and the band at the reception.
So many wonderful moments yesterday. For them. For everyone they brought together. For the community of friends and family. A wedding planned down to each amazing detail. A ceremony that I hope others will also remember as representing the couple for whom we were celebrating the beginning of their married life in a way that seemed as close to perfect as I could imagine.
Today will be another wonderful celebration of life--teaching third grade students in St. Pius X's religious education program about the importance of community (including our faith community), having lunch with my parents for a belated celebration of my middle son's 13th birthday, playing bass at mass, and catching up on some work.
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