"With all respects to Heaven, I like it here."

Last weekend I was up in Maine for a wedding. If you've never been to Vacationland, I can tell you that on a gorgeous July day, you'd be hard pressed to find a more beautiful spot in our country. There's a reason that they say Maine is "the way life should be."

There's a lot to say about this particular wedding. First and most importantly, I was in attendance thanks to a very long and winding road of connections and meetings and befriendings that have stood the test of families and relationships (some that worked, some that didn't) and a few other peaks and valleys along the way. Like any good story, this one is full of chance meet-ups and follow-throughs and I've repeatedly thought about how easily this group of friends could have slipped away from me.

While ordering a glass of the wedding couple's signature cocktail, a friend came up to me at the bar. "You know," he said, "I was just thinking about all that had to happen to get you here, of all the paths crossed and stars aligned and pieces that fell into place." We smiled at each other, nodded in agreement, and clinked our classes in a toast.

Because oh, it all came together, didn't it? I think back to my late twenties and recall how, for so long, I wasn't sure life would ever make sense, if this path I was on would straighten itself out long enough for me to get my barrings, make my mark, or understand the weaves, interconnections, and unfolding.


While I certainly cannot claim to understand any of it anymore than I could a few years ago, I like to think, at least this time around, I suddenly get it. And by getting it, I don't understand it at all. The difference, I believe, is I've learned to just let go and have a little faith. Oh, the universe can throw us a mighty, ugly hand at times, of this I am well aware. And it never fails that the moment we seem to take a deep breath and realize "well, hey, I like it here," something up and changes. Still, the universe sets us up right, I believe. Often, I find myself thinking of Desiderata, and one of my favorite lines: And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

This wedding was also the last one in my long queue of weddings. I have no more on the calendar, no more bridal showers or bachelorettes or any of the festivities that go along with holy matrimony. I don't foresee any other engagements popping up anytime soon and honestly I'm not quite sure when I'll be back at a wedding again in the near future. 'Tis a bit bittersweet to wonder if the wedding wave is slowing down, if that chapter will soon be replaced by something else - baby showers and more! - as life winds along. (Of course, someday I'll throw my own wedding and we'll have another fabulous celebration on our hands. But, until then...)

There are times, especially during the very best times, that I want to take a second to just remember. The days are long but the years are short. These moments, these memories are so beautiful in their fleeting, quickly moving ways and you will miss them if you blink.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.