Wedding

OK, my kid brother got married today. To put that in context, he’s 36 — not exactly a kid anymore. Still, since I turned 48 two weeks ago, and I have very clear memories of the day he & my mother came home from the hospital, part of me is still thinking, “Isn’t he a little young to be getting married?”

Obviously, the answer is no. He and his new bride are crazy about each other and about the little girl of whom they are, legally-speaking, foster parents and whom they want to adopt. He’s a successful salesman and she’s a kindergarten teacher, which qualifies her, among other things, to understand the dynamics of the New York State Senate. But I digress…

They got married on a mountaintop in the Green Mountains of Vermont. You could see clear across Lake Champlain to the Adirondacks in New York from up there (with the help of a guide, I was able to pick out Whiteface Mountain, near Lake Placid.) The bride walked down the aisle as my brother played his guitar and sang Thank You, a song from Led Zeppelin’s second album, making this the first wedding ceremony I’ve ever attended that featured music from Led Zep. A friend of theirs officiated the ceremony with a mixture of dignity and good humor. My niece read a Maya Angelou poem, and then it was time for the couple to recite their vows, which they wrote. My brother literally had everyone in tears. He is a superb writer; I wish he would podcast some of his fiction. The first time I read one of his horror pieces, I informed him that, for the first time in my life, I was a little afraid of him. Sigler would have been proud.

The bride, too, recited a very emotional and heartfelt vow. It really was one of the sweetest wedding ceremonies I’ve ever attended. The reception was held in the backyard of two of their friends, complete with a bluegrass band led by a 12 year-old fiddle prodigy. This girl looks like an average American middle-schooler and plays the fiddle like she’s been practicing every day for a couple of decades. All in all, a very intimate, fun, and touching day.

Pat and Sonia, you have all my love and best wishes for long and happy lives together. PS In honor of your wedding, the Red Sox beat the Orioles today, 7-2.