Post-Wedding Guest Wrapup

As expected, this past weekend’s wedding was quite nice. The bride and groom seemed appropriately smitten with one another. The groom’s mother, who has a bit of the control freak about her, managed not to stroke out. At no point did it look like the bride was about ready to kill herself or someone else, which at this jaded point in my life indicates to me that the wedding went off without any significant hitch. Either that or she had the forethought to partake of Lord Xanax, in which case she is a woman who is wise to the world and an excellent choice for a life’s companion.

The only exception I can take with the wedding was that there was a bit too much Jesus Cum-By-Yah shit for my liking. The minister/pastor/preacher/whatever was a brother-in-law to the bride. He seemed a nice enough fellow, if you ignore the excessive clean-cuttedness of his appearance, but for the love of a non-denominational god, I was left wondering if he had just learned the word “covenant” and felt compelled to use it in sentences so that he would not forget it. I’m not sure, but by the time all was said and done I think that all the guests might have been entered into a covenant with him, Cum-By-Yah Christ, the Holy Ghost, and perhaps the neighbors and the local mental health organization.

I for one have little tolerance for organized religion in general, and evangelical organized religion in particular. Although I am genetically Catholic (none of the faith, all of the guilt!), I refuse to partake in any religion that finds women to be unfit vessels for the word of god. If one accepts that Jesus was the son of god born to a virgin mother, then one accepts that a loving human mother allowed her son to suffer and die for the sins of all mankind. That counts as a pretty big sacrifice, methinks, and apparently indicates that god thought a woman was a fit enough vessel to bring his word to us. Otherwise, would god not have just sent Jesus, or built him out of sticks or something? And I’m having none of that original sin bullshit, either. I decline to believe that the stupid are god’s chosen.

Frankly, I don’t buy any of the major articles of Christian faith except that Jesus was a swell fellow with some pretty good ideas. I have been known to chat with Mary from time to time, but that has more with the limitations of my own ability to cope with reality than actual faith.

Now back to our regularly scheduled blogging, already in progress.

There were in attendance any number of people with whom I went to high school. All but one either ignored me or didn’t recognize me. I’m guessing the former because, well, I don’t really look that different. Frankly, I don’t care so very much because my butt was smaller than that of their wives. I try to pretty up that fact however I like, but I’m not one for lying. In the river of any life, are there not shallow patches? Yea, verily.

The romantic history of the bride and groom was sweet and poignant and all kind of Lifetime Movie Network. As I was departing, I had a chat with the groom’s mom, who summed it all up, “He’s loved her forever.”

Well, that’s something, isn’t it?

But not everything. In the end the test isn’t the love he’s had for in the past, it’s the love that he has for her tomorrow and 10 years from now and beyond. That’s what a marriage is, isn’t it? The decision to love someone today despite the occasional desire to strangle him or her?

Bleh. Enough with the mush. We will endeavor shortly to return to our regular schedule of complaints, rants, and wild speculations.