My family absolutely loves a wedding. We love talking about weddings, planning events associated with weddings and of course, attending them. We are getting ready for a busy wedding season this fall, beginning with a wedding for my nephew and his beautiful bride.
To me, weddings are the epitome of love in the world. It creates a special place for those who are in love, to fall in love all over again. Equally, it lends a perfect opportunity for anyone desiring love, the chance meeting of the person in their dreams. Both scenarios offer a priceless gift to wedding guests that can not be contained in any gift bag.
One of my treasured wedding memories is from a family wedding held in February 2005. That special wedding turned out to be the last one we shared with our son Michael. The wedding was a grand event, not just for the bride and groom, but for Michael. Months of dialysis were over and a successful kidney transplant made him feel like the king of the ball. Guests at the wedding noticed his happiness as well as the numerous cans of Mountain Dew stacked on the table where he was playing cards with his cousins. His comment, “Thank you Auntie Mar for the kidney”, followed by another gulp of pop, made the day complete.
In his wheelchair, he danced the night away with a constant line of beautiful girls around him. For our family, it’s a circle of aunts, uncles and cousins occupying almost every inch of the dance floor, promising to bring out the dancing queen in each one of us. That particular February Saturday night was no exception.
Weddings are just one example of a complicated truth about love. It is absolutely wonderful but at the same time, it’s a risk. Nothing loved is without an element of risk. When a vow is made, either in a wedding ceremony or in your commitment to a child, an eternal bond is made. You and a part of the world are changed by it, making all the risk worth every minute of it.
Allowing me to speak about Be the Change to your group or organization involves some risk too. The risk lies in being impacted and changed by the stories of a boy named Michael who was willing to take risks, even in his wheelchair at a wedding dance. Courage moved him beyond the risk of limitations and discouragements, filling him with hope and possibility as well as everyone watching him.
I might need to brush up on my Cha-Cha Slide skills for the next wedding dance. Many would agree that’s a risk too. Whether you enjoy dancing or not, keep stepping towards the many ways you can Be the Change, and like Michael, don’t be afraid of taking a risk.
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