Greetings, Poetry Lovers!
We're still catching our breath after a whirlwind but joyous weekend, celebrating the wedding of our son Seth and his lovely bride, Ginnie. Those two had made things official last November at the courthouse, but we had the ceremony and the fun to-do's around the I-do's from Friday to Sunday.
Seth picked a poem to be read during the ceremony, and my hubby Jeff ended up doing the honors. He was familiar with this work.
"For Marriage" by poet and priest John O'Donohue has been shared at many a wedding, if the internet is any indication. I couldn't find an official link for it, so I'll just share a couple of the eight couplets, the fourth and fifth:
As kindly as moonlight might search the dark,
So gentle may you be when light grows scarce.
As surprised as the silence that music opens,
May your words for each other be touched with reverence.
O'Donohue was born in 1956 in County Clare, Ireland, and died suddenly and much too soon in 2008. You can learn more about him and his work at his legacy website: https://www.johnodonohue.com/. I haven't listened to this yet, but the public radio program On Being has a link to an interview originally aired in 2005 here, with a YouTube video here.
The poem, the address by pastor Brian, the vows and other elements were moving and beautiful. Another wedding moment that was charming beyond description was when our grandson Sawyer, two-going-on-three, served as ring bearer. We had all been practicing, but one never knows. Parents Morgan and Matt were in the wedding party, so they dropped off Sawyer to sit with me as they processed in. Just before his big part, I slipped a green velvet cape over his head and let him take the two rings from their box. With a little encouragement launching him forward, Sawyer walked solemnly to the front and gave the rings to Uncle Seth and Aunt Ginnie. All to the tune of "Concerning Hobbits" from Lord of the Rings playing over the sound system (Ginnie's doing). Precious!
Speaking of magical beings and Ireland and such, as I write this on Thursday, it's May Day! The fairies have been whispering to me in recent months, and I've been looking all over our property trying to find the perfect place for a secret project - a fairy garden. I've been collecting items from a dollar store and from Amazon, and got to work with a wheelbarrow and tools this week, hiding my progress until today. I hope the wee grands love it! It was all - ahem - for them, of course. Yep. For the grandbabes. (There's a short little video on my artsyletters Instagram & Facebook pages).
It might be May, but you can still go back and enjoy this year's April/Poetry Month Kidlit Progressive Poem, which just ended its journey with oh-so-talented April this week at Teaching Authors.
And be sure to catch this week's Poetry Friday Roundup, which has moved to A(nother) Year of Reading with our wonderful Mary Lee!