Hope...

"Hope" by Emily Dickinson

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,

And sings the tune – without the words,

And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;

And sore must be the storm

That could abash the little bird

That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,

And on the strangest sea;

Yet, never, in extremity,

It asked a crumb of me.

This past weekend, we went to a wedding of our friends Lisa and Eli. It was a lovely ceremony and you could tell that everyone involved put a lot of work into it to make it just right. I was honored to be amongst the guests and to share in their happy moments.

I love weddings. There's something about them that fills up your stomach with happy feelings. I think that when people cry at weddings, it's because they are so full of good intentions and brimming with such positive energy that it has to escape somewhere. What better place than the windows of the soul?

What I think I love most about weddings is that despite what the statics say or what naysayers would preach, two people decide to create a moment in time where they commit to each other and share their hopes; two become one. Even if a marriage doesn't last, those magical moments where their hearts conjoin and their love seems infinite live on forever. It's positive; it's beautiful, and nothing can erase the communal celebration of love, hope, and trust.

People often times talk about weddings as being new beginnings, but I'd like to think of it as a "great continuing". When a seed is planted, it is not some wholly new experience; the seed planted carries with it all the plants that came before and the potential for many more in the future.

So, to Lisa and Eli... I wish the very best. I hope for them the biggest hopes. I dream for them the most beautiful garden, where they can set down deep roots and grow together in love.