Almost 42 years ago today, my mom married my dad in this wedding dress.
My grandparents didn't show up to their ceremony because my mom was Catholic. From all historic accounts of this tale, my dad's parents liked my mom but they were Protestant and mom was, well...not.
The reason this is topical for me is three-fold:
1) My mom and dad are still (happily) married and about to celebrate their anniversary on Sept 4th. mind blowing.
2) I coincidentally just did this fun photo shoot 2 weeks ago in her wedding dress with my friend Liam.
3) And, I was talking religion tonight with my sweet friend Kevin.
Kevin just got back from Tel Aviv and he was sharing his stunning photos of mosques, churches, the weeping wall and images of Mary and Jesus. The images of Jerusalem and the Dead Sea were beyond breath taking. The conversation evolved to how important it is within certain cultures to marry within your own religion. He explained, in his opinion, that it had more to do with culture than faith, the desire is really rooted in the sense of belonging and the heritage of a close knit community that it can bring. Kevin is Jewish. I explained to him that I never really did understand why that rationale is so important. Isn't love simply important enough? (and, believe me, I have first hand experience after being engaged to a Jew in a different lifetime).
Don't get me wrong, I do feel that we all need to believe in something, have faith and hope in something - so that we don't let the weight of the world bring us down. But the problem lies in that we use the power of religion as an excuse to either do right or wrong against other people.
Isn't it really just about being a professional human being? Just work hard to feel love and share love, build a community in your own family - have dinner at the table, make time to meet with friends, sit down and write a hand-written thank you letter (for anything), leave tiny presents to your love to remind them why you care about them so much.
Consider yourself like a rockstar - you wouldn't be where you are today without your fans. So, at the end of it all, when you're up on the podium and you start by thanking the Lord and your saviour Jesus Christ, don't forget to thank all the little people that made you famous in every day of your life.
in defence of the above mentioned grand parents, religious and cultural divides were very different 40 + years ago. In our community, religions and cultures did not mix because of long memories and stories passed from one generation to the next. Hence catholic schools, and protestant schools. My parents were forward thinking for their time. My best friend in elementary was a Jewish girl and I, being a black protestant (presbyterian) went to Holy Angels an all girl catholic school. Many things have changed in the years since Don and Pat were married. Think of all the things we now have that were not even thought of then, blackberries, I phones, facebook, twitter, CNN...They were a product of their upbringing, as we all are. We can only hope that each generation gains insight into their fellow man and realize what a small world it is and that we are all brothers and sister under the same sun. Love you and hope I was not too long winded.
ReplyDeletethe kids today what with their ataris and jello puddings and hammer pants...I tell you...
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