Lloyd Marcus
A patriot's wedding
By Lloyd Marcus
Folks, this has nothing to do with politics, but I feel compelled to share it with you. Mary and I attended a wonderful wedding. A friend of mine of thirty years lost his wife to cancer. After his devastating loss, God blessed him to meet a lovely lady. They fell in love, decided to marry, and he asked me to be his best man.
Like many Americans, the Obama economy has wreaked havoc on my friend, the groom's, finances. The wedding was modest, and yet, elegant and creative. The ceremony took place in the exquisite garden of a 100-year-old hotel. The reception was inside the hotel's historic, charming dining room.
Interestingly, while it was not a big budget "blowout" wedding, it was one of the most, if not the most, lovely I have ever attended — happy, fun, and upbeat. I think the magic ingredient was "love"; not love the emotion — I am talking about love the attitude.
It was obvious the wedding couple's thirty or so guests really liked them and wished them well in this new chapter of their lives. Their wedding was not about impressive this or that. It was about family and friends genuinely supporting the happy couple, resulting in a relaxing, warm, and pleasant atmosphere.
Contrast my friend's wedding to what I saw on TV when flipping through the channels. A youth woman was critiquing her girlfriend's expensive wedding. She made one snotty comment after another. She thought this was tacky and what on earth was the wedding couple thinking when they made certain choices.
I realize it is human nature to critique events. But I thought the young woman on TV gave an extremely harsh critique of her friend's wedding. I thought, "Wow, with friends like her, who needs enemies?"
Big lavish weddings can be wonderful. I am simply commenting on the unique simple elegance, beauty, and heartfelt "vibe" of my friend's wedding. It was great.
At the wedding, Mary and I were introduced to a woman whom I will call "Jane." It appeared smiling was not in this woman's DNA. When Jane unenthusiastically shook my hand, she looked downward avoiding eye contact.
If I were a person with "issues," I could have internalized Jane's unfriendly body language concluding, "This racist white woman does not like black people."
I sensed it was not about me, but about her and how she felt about herself. I thought, "This woman is very insecure." My wife, Mary, also noticed Jane's unfriendly vibe.
Without Mary and I consulting each other, we made Jane our mission. We exploited every opportunity to pull Jane into the little conservations which happen at such events.
Feeling a little more comfortable, Jane confided to Mary that she felt apprehensive about attending the wedding. She was the date of a friend of the bride and did not know anyone. This was totally out of her comfort zone.
By the end of the reception, Jane, Mary, myself, and several of the other guests were good friends — laughing, joking, and having a great time.
For the past few years, Mary and I gratefully comment daily on how much we love our lives. We feel we are always where God wants us to be doing what He wants us to do. Surrendering to His Will has made a world of difference. While we are not perfect, we try to be sensitive to His promptings. Wow, please forgive me. I did not intend to turn this piece into a sermon.
Pulling Jane into the party felt really rewarding. The experience reminded me of what Jesus said, "Whatever you did unto one of the least, you did it unto Me."
As I said at the beginning of this story, it has nothing to do with politics. Or perhaps, it does.
Glenn Beck has been saying in order for America to survive Obama and company, we patriots must stand together, hold on to the good, and rise to be our best selves. The guests at my friend's wedding were a great example of people displaying their best selves by acting in love.
In one of the conservations at the reception, I learned that the sea captain who performed the wedding ceremony is a 9/12er. I knew I liked that guy.
© Lloyd Marcus
May 15, 2011
Folks, this has nothing to do with politics, but I feel compelled to share it with you. Mary and I attended a wonderful wedding. A friend of mine of thirty years lost his wife to cancer. After his devastating loss, God blessed him to meet a lovely lady. They fell in love, decided to marry, and he asked me to be his best man.
Like many Americans, the Obama economy has wreaked havoc on my friend, the groom's, finances. The wedding was modest, and yet, elegant and creative. The ceremony took place in the exquisite garden of a 100-year-old hotel. The reception was inside the hotel's historic, charming dining room.Interestingly, while it was not a big budget "blowout" wedding, it was one of the most, if not the most, lovely I have ever attended — happy, fun, and upbeat. I think the magic ingredient was "love"; not love the emotion — I am talking about love the attitude.
It was obvious the wedding couple's thirty or so guests really liked them and wished them well in this new chapter of their lives. Their wedding was not about impressive this or that. It was about family and friends genuinely supporting the happy couple, resulting in a relaxing, warm, and pleasant atmosphere.
Contrast my friend's wedding to what I saw on TV when flipping through the channels. A youth woman was critiquing her girlfriend's expensive wedding. She made one snotty comment after another. She thought this was tacky and what on earth was the wedding couple thinking when they made certain choices.
I realize it is human nature to critique events. But I thought the young woman on TV gave an extremely harsh critique of her friend's wedding. I thought, "Wow, with friends like her, who needs enemies?"
Big lavish weddings can be wonderful. I am simply commenting on the unique simple elegance, beauty, and heartfelt "vibe" of my friend's wedding. It was great.
At the wedding, Mary and I were introduced to a woman whom I will call "Jane." It appeared smiling was not in this woman's DNA. When Jane unenthusiastically shook my hand, she looked downward avoiding eye contact.
If I were a person with "issues," I could have internalized Jane's unfriendly body language concluding, "This racist white woman does not like black people."
I sensed it was not about me, but about her and how she felt about herself. I thought, "This woman is very insecure." My wife, Mary, also noticed Jane's unfriendly vibe.
Without Mary and I consulting each other, we made Jane our mission. We exploited every opportunity to pull Jane into the little conservations which happen at such events.
Feeling a little more comfortable, Jane confided to Mary that she felt apprehensive about attending the wedding. She was the date of a friend of the bride and did not know anyone. This was totally out of her comfort zone.
By the end of the reception, Jane, Mary, myself, and several of the other guests were good friends — laughing, joking, and having a great time.
For the past few years, Mary and I gratefully comment daily on how much we love our lives. We feel we are always where God wants us to be doing what He wants us to do. Surrendering to His Will has made a world of difference. While we are not perfect, we try to be sensitive to His promptings. Wow, please forgive me. I did not intend to turn this piece into a sermon.
Pulling Jane into the party felt really rewarding. The experience reminded me of what Jesus said, "Whatever you did unto one of the least, you did it unto Me."
As I said at the beginning of this story, it has nothing to do with politics. Or perhaps, it does.
Glenn Beck has been saying in order for America to survive Obama and company, we patriots must stand together, hold on to the good, and rise to be our best selves. The guests at my friend's wedding were a great example of people displaying their best selves by acting in love.
In one of the conservations at the reception, I learned that the sea captain who performed the wedding ceremony is a 9/12er. I knew I liked that guy.
© Lloyd Marcus
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