And now a break from the normal posting as the most recent major event in my life has been the wedding of my daughter Nataly to Josh Jennings. It was a memorable event marred by the absence of her older sister Vivian. I cannot begin to describe the range of emotions last weekend (she was married on Jan 22, 2010, a Friday, in the early afternoon). There were many conversations, sometimes approaching arguments, about the absence of Vivian. In fact, the issue has become very divisive in our family as it corrodes our ties and begins to dissolve us as a unit. And then there was the other emotional extreme as I led Nata down the aisle to a cello playing incredibly beautiful music. She was stunning and as we entered the room audible gasps could be heard from the congregation. I was caught up in the moment and almost lost it-could barely make it to my seat. The beauty of the moment was overwhelming. Yet the emotion was not that of happiness, something was missing for me and I can’t nail it down.
Extremes of emotion took their toll over the weekend and continue to the present. Thankfully Sophia was with us throughout the whole ordeal and was able to support Nataly and be with her when her parents just couldn’t hold up. I learned a lot from Sophi that weekend about our family and about myself. She is a strong sensitive women and I am most proud of her.
And then there was the toast to the bride and groom. Sophi read a poem to start. It was a poem that Hedy, Sophi and I had found on the Internet—a wedding poem by Rumi. Much of the poem was innappropriate so we picked 4 stanzas that seemed to work. Sophi practiced the poem and performed nicely at the opening of the toasts. I remember seeing Nata’s face as Sophi was dramatizing the poem and she had a somewhat incredulous expression. She certainly got a nice surprise from Sophi. Here is a copy of the poem.
I’ll post more when the online photos become available.
