What I
said almost a year ago still holds true today...
A TOAST FROM A PARENTAL PERSPECTIVE: When
a child is born and they hand you that little bundle, the first time you
look into their tiny, trusting face it's only natural to want to give them
everything, to promise them the world... and so you whisper into their ear: "The
Best is Yet to Come"...Yet, with the passage of time, you realize just how
much wisdom needs to be passed on
such that they best achieve their
goals and evolving dreams in the lengthy journey toward adulthood.
Ryan and
Alison, your very presence here tonight signifies your successful segue into
responsible adulthood but it's truly more than that: it represents a facet of
the so-called CIRCLE OF LIFE... To me, circles
are the perfect symbol of 'completeness'...like a ring, there are
no broken lines in their form... and "completeness" is a good thing,
particularly in a relationship...
In the
late 1890s, a well-known poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, wrote a famous poem
that focused on 'completeness'. In fact,
back in the 70s I had a poster above my
bed bearing her salient words:
I love you not only for what you are
But for what I AM when I am with you...
I love you not only for what you have made of yourself,
But for what you are making of me...
And... I love you for the part of ME
that you bring out...[for you complete me]...
Browning's
sentiments clearly emphasize the significance of completeness in a
relationship, but they likewise invoke 'a generosity of spirit',
and this brings me to some cherished wishes I'd like to share with Ryan and Alison:
May you always need one another...
(Not
so much to fill your own emptiness,
but to appreciate what true fulfillment really is...)
May
you always 'lean on' one another, as well,
(Yet,
never out of weakness, but of selfless reciprocity)...
May
you embrace one another,
(
but not in a manner that encloses, stifles, or suffocates)
Most
importantly, may your happiness be strongly amplified by charity,
AS
WELL AS ALWAYS
(by) making ONE ANOTHER happy
!!!
In closing...
The little boy (who once played) is now a bride groom,
The little girl (her parent's once carried) is now a lovely bride;
As witnesses
to their wedded vows just recited,
We, [friends/family]
stood by their side...
So, Bless
the sacred rings around their fingers,
Bless their
marriage as man and wife,
Share in their new-journey this evening,
[And 3
CHEERS for The Circle of Life...]
Ryan and Alison : "May The Best Be Yet
To Come !!! "
