A New Beginning

I am off to Richmond, Virginia today for tomorrow's wedding of Micah and Mary Catherine. Micah is the son of Bill Berry, not the former drummer for R.E.M., but the other one. The one that I went to seminary with and seem to get into all kinds of trouble with.

In spite of this, Micah and Mary Catherine are obviously foolishly in love because they have lost their minds and asked me to deliver the homily. The last time I delivered a homily, I was in St. Martin's of Tours Church in Louisville and Vernon, the Priest and dear friend, got drunk afterwards. I remember it as being pretty good.

Anyway, Micah and Mary Catherine are childhood sweethearts. Their lives have dipped and swooned and they fell in and out of one another's lives until they fell into each other's arms. And now that stand at the beginning of a new life together which is going to be much different from their old life together.

Oh they have been in love for some time and I enjoy watching them together. Not too long ago they were visiting me and we sat on my back deck and Micah played songs on his guitar and Mary Catherine watched him sing, knowing all of the words and encouraging him. It was sweet.

Micah is a musician and an electrician. Mary Catherine seems to beleive that he is a magician. Anyway, he plays music most nights and is on the road playing in different bands. His music has carried him around the world. He is a lot like Bill and doesn't mind trying new things. Mary Catherine is more conservative and sweet. He looks like a musician, meaning he could pass for a homeless guy most days while she wears cute dresses and always looks good. The are opposites. Then again they are not. That is what love can do.

Love is a pure and holy thing. People are not. We are flawed and we have our moments and no matter how hard we try not to, we screw up. And we have some incredible knack for wounding one another even when doing that is the furtherest thing that we have in our minds. And were it not for love, we would kill one another and everyone would live the life of a hermit.

But their is love, thank God. And so long as we focus on the love it will get us through. Micah and Mary Catherine are no different from the rest of us. There will be moments when without meaning to, they hurt one another. Or they hurt themselves. Many couples do not have what it takes to love each other through these times. I think that they do. There is a serendipity that surrounds them.

So I will be celebrating with them tonight at the rehersal and tomorrow at the wedding. And after the incredible homily that I am going to deliver, I can't help but wonder how drunk they are going to get after the ceremony.