On the Wedding of a Friend

I am on the last leg of a journey to California to witness the wedding of a friend of mine. He and his beautiful bride actually have been married for some period of months now, but they decided to have a ceremony atop a hill overlooking a winery near Sacramento. It was all in all, a splendid affair.

The groom is a fine fellow, well-educated and exceptionally bright. He is a naval officer, one of the poor souls who once had to toil under my yoke but who with astonishing good cheer, continue to be friendly with me nonetheless. He met his bride the new fashioned way, through Match.com I believe. They are well-matched. She is an accomplished actress (yes, I used that word, not actor) who gave up that profession in order to be with him. She has nearly completed a Masters Degree in Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, and her free-spiritedness conforms nicely to his mischievous side, while his strength of character provides an obvious anchor for her.

I must admit to having had second thoughts about travel to California for the wedding--not connected in any way to the obvious strength this match represented. No, I was being a little selfish. I've got a pretty substantial work and personal travel schedule between now and mid October, and I already live half-time away from my kitten and her girls. Returning to them on weekends is a source of great constancy for me, and due to my own scheduling, I will be away from them four of five weekends. I felt a little tugged, though it was all of my own creation.

Then I watched as my friend and his love said their vows atop a vineyard hill, and I realized how selfish I had been. This was a great day, and these were great people. The crime would have been if I had not shown up. As I approached my friend to offer him congratulations on his wedding day, his voice choked a bit as he told me how much he appreciated my making the trip. I felt the great pride of a (not much) older brother, and the shame of actually considering missing this moment.