People plan the perfect wedding and as unexpected things come up, the couple getting married get bothered by it and the audience talks about it during and after. The unexpected occurrences become the memories rather than what the wedding is about. I went to a wedding in Victoria yesterday – Shawn and Eileen and as I got there, I noted the large tent and then saw all the chairs out in the open…there was no cover. Did people not see the weather forecast: rain throughout the day. I stood there and watched as people wiped down the chairs as the rain slowed, and after the chairs were a bit dryer, the rain started, then the crew went out again to dry them. I saw people cutting fruit, moving furniture and preparing for the wedding…and they were all the guests. I grabbed some towels and went to help and did this with what I saw as a norm – a smile on my face. We were asked to take our seats and there was a fine mist. As the wedding party arrived, the mist started to turn to light showers, then as Eileen got there, the light showers turned to rain. The bride, groom, wedding party and guests all stood and sat there in the open as it rained…and it did not matter. The rain could not dampen the spirit of the wedding and all that were there. Both took their vows and said their “I love you” while the rain came down. I sat there thinking how people would have been running for cover, the ceremony being rushed to end quickly so people could be out of the rain or people worried more about their clothes being wet. Non of that happened…in a word, as the rain fell and the ceremony went on, it was ‘beautiful’.
The wedding was wonderful because it was a reunion of my alumni. There was this underlying pride and passion of being an SFU/Beedie alumni as we all shared and talked. Some people flew in from Paris on Friday and will be flying out today, Sunday, just for the wedding. Others flew in from Ottawa and this is the cornerstone for their vacation. Shawn has become part of my family. To be invited to his wedding meant a lot to me. It was a wedding I could not miss and even though I could only make it for the day, I had to go. Shawn and Eileen are going away for a while but we will always be connected and our paths will get together somewhere in the world. They mean a great deal to me. I know there were many who could not attend but for the people I saw – Sean, Christina, Maryam/Dom, Carla, Zaya, Mila, Jevta, Peter, Xenia, Sean, Harman and Mark (Who am I missing?), you are truly amazing individuals and I am thankful the universe has brought us together. The rain was with us through out the day and under the cover of the large tent and lunch, we were protected from the elements; however, the speeches brought out many tears so it rained inside the tent.
This wedding is a reminder that we can not get consumed about the little things in life for the times when things really matter. Not one person complained about the rain or walked away feeling disappointed…what mattered were the two people getting married and what they meant to each of us individually. Embrace what life throws your way and cherish the special moments. Instead of avoiding the rain, make it part of the experience.
I also had the wonderful pleasure of ending my day by having dinner with my dear friend Jane. I speak about relationships and Jane is one of those individuals I met in 2002, when I worked on the 2010 Bid Committee, and while we may not see each other, we can always phone and email…in this case actually sit and have dinner. She is always so busy but when I call, I never feel like I am imposing. We appreciate each other. Dinner at Jane’s was an opportunity to share stories, laughs and some reflective moments (translation – misty eyes). No matter where our lives take us, she will always be on my journey.
June 16th will be a day of appreciation for people. I had a wonderful day catching up with a sample of the people I am surrounded by and it was full of smiles and misty eyes. It speaks volumes when rain can not dampen the spirit of a wedding or a heart to heart talk with a dear friend and realizing two hours have gone by! Sure there are lessons to be learned from today but I will just take the time to savor and appreciate the people I got to see today. My heart is full today…as it is most days ?