LOVE

Drew’s Reminder,

Love.

     This weekend I had the pleasure of being the best man in my best friend’s wedding.  Although I’m less than a month away from being 45 years old, this was my first time being a best man.  I was very appreciative that the groom wanted me to play such an important role in this special time in his life.  The moment itself lived up to everything I thought it could be. It should be of no surprise that the overall them of the weekend was love.  The best part of it all was that it wasn’t only about the love of the newlyweds. 

     You see a wedding is so much more than a wedding.  For example a wedding is a mini family reunion.  I say mini because most times the entire family may not be able to make the event but many will.  I really enjoyed meeting members of both the bride’s and groom’s family.  The bride’s brother and brother-in-law were groomsmen as well so we had plenty of opportunity to bond. The groom’s cousins were groomsmen also.  The bride’s father, whom I had met a few months earlier, was without a doubt a man to respect and an architect for the family.  Of all the family I must highlight the bride’s brother and the love he shared for his daughter.  He brought his 7 year old daughter with him for the wedding and she was part of the wedding party.  To see their interaction was a thing of beauty.  There is no doubt he loves his little girl.  I would find out later that she doesn’t live with him so he drives 4-6 hours one way every other weekend to pick her up just so he can spend time with her.  That was no surprise based on the way he treated his daughter.  He was attentive, caring and nurturing every moment she was around.  Being a father of 3 beautiful girls myself I could really relate to his love for his little girl.  I could tell that he wasn’t acting this way just because of the wedding; this was how he was with her all the time.  I really enjoyed seeing the love of family.

     The weekend started with a bachelor party on Thursday evening.  As the best man it was my responsibility to plan for it and I did feel a little pressure to make sure it was right.  The groom told me over and over that he just wanted to have a nice meal and keep it laid back.  I was more worried about the rest of the groomsmen and their expectations.  I didn’t know any of the groomsmen.  They consisted of two of the groom’s cousins and two of his future brother-in-laws.  Unfortunately all of them were from out of town so I didn’t get a chance to meet them until the day of the event.  All of my concerns were for nothing as the night went off very well.  We didn’t do anything crazy.  We had some great adult cocktails, some good laughs and a good time.  It was a great start to the weekend and the beginning of us getting to know each other.  On Friday we all attended the rehearsal and continued to bond.  Finally, we all met early for the wedding and dressed in our own little house on the grounds of the wedding location.  While dressing we played music, took pictures, had plenty of laughs and continue to get to know each other.  I can truly say based on this weekend I’ve met some new friends.  We’ve all committed to planning a fellas trip to Houston soon so we can all get back together and hang out again.  This was a true example of brotherly love.

     The wedding itself was a perfect example of a vision and a dream becoming reality.  It was set at a beautiful outside venue on the grounds of a Georgia mountain.  The weather was perfect and everything went exactly as planned.  The wedding was held less than a quarter of a mile from a train track and there were some concerns that a train may travel through during the ceremony.  Several trains came through during the time we were there but none during the ceremony.  The ceremony was just meant to be perfect.  Knowing the bride and groom personally as I do, I could really see the love that they shared that day.  I've seen it before and knew that their union was inevitable.  Yet on that day there love was amplified.  You could feel it in the air.  You could see it in their faces.  To no surprise the bride was prepared and strategically placed some tissue in her dress because she knew she would cry during the ceremony.  To many others' surprise, the groom’s eyes swelled with tears as well.  I’ve been through a lot with the groom and I knew he was in a great place in his life.  I knew he was happy.  I knew he was in love.  It was a beautiful example of a couple’s love.

     At the reception I had to give a toast to the bride and groom.  I decided that instead of telling a funny story about the groom or giving marital advice, I would make a promise to both of them.  To the groom, I made the promise to always remind him through good and bad times that the love he shares with his wife is infinite and abundant.  Love is the greatest of all energies and it can neither be created nor destroyed.  I promised to remind him that the only thing that could ever stop him from having that love is him deciding not to have it.  I promised the bride that whenever the groom came to talk to me in frustration about his wife being too demanding (because that’s what wives do :-) ), I would again remind him of the same thing.  The beauty of all the love that I witnessed this weekend is that it doesn't take a wedding for us to experience love.  The same butterflies and deep emotion that everyone felt during the ceremony are available to us all if we choose to access it.  Yes, life can be demanding and ultimately distract you from accessing the love available to you.  You must make the choice on whether you let it or not.  I choose not to.  I choose to experience love as often as humanly possible.  That is both giving it and receiving it.  It shouldn’t take a wedding to get anyone to experience love but it did serve as a beautiful reminder.  Although you may or may not have attended a wedding this weekend consider yourself reminded too.  Now go out and experience some love.  Enjoy the journey!

With gratitude,

Drew