A wedding with a heart

Day 999 - I just came back from the wedding of my niece. It was so wonderful. They are a very religious family so wedding is a very big thing, much bigger than in the secular community. It is not about the food, it is about celebrating one of the most important events in their life. And the guest are not there to care about the food but to celebrate with the young couple and make the event so much more joyful. I am not religious at all but every time I come in contact with this community its brings warmth to my heart. It's so special to witness that in some places there are still simple joys of weddings, that are not going to end in a year or two but are almost always a commitment for life, of holidays, of children of getting together, things that in the secular and very cynical culture of our days kind of gets lost. I am sure this young bride did not spend weeks choosing her dress and testing her make-up; choosing the perfect menu or going through rehearsal dinners before the real thing. For her it's not a show she has to put for her guests. For her it is the beginning of her new life that she celebrated tonight and she was excited beyond words. And all her friends were there to make her happy tonight and all this is true for the groom and his friends; the parents and their friends. The whole community that comes together tonight and so many times in the past. and they all know they can trust this bond, this extended family to be there for them no matter what. It must be such a comforting thought.
I am not writing all that in jealousy but in admiration; I wish we could have the same simple and "less sophisticate", but so much more authentic look at life and from the right place from the heart and not from the mind.

I am thankful for the honor to take part in this so very special wedding. I am thankful it is part of my immediate family and that we were able to keep this bond and strengthen it since we moved back here. I am thankful for this reminder about the important things in life.