Monday, June 29, 2009

Pick me up

This is from my "makes me happy" bookmark folder. Sometimes I just need a break and I often head here.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Turning air into matter

I found this post on A Practical Wedding. It is from Pitching My Tent by Anita Diamant. I will be heading to the bookstore to pick this up!

Why marry?
Because marriage publicly affirms the possibility of moving toward another person without reservation. With that momentum, we are propelled toward the center of the heart, toward the center of the universe, and however far that gets us is farther than we'd otherwise go alone. Why marry? Because every wedding enacts a personal connection to the universal story of the human hope for wholeness. Because by stepping into the hyperbarically charged space on the altar (in front of the priest, under the canopy), the bride and groom join in a dance that goes all the way back to the beginning of memory. Getting married is an attempt at turning air into matter, transforming the ineffable workings of the heart into things that are "real": the invitation, the dress, the ring. The words that constitute a wedding are magical incantations of the highest order. In the presence of witnesses and voiced by a vested authority, two people are pronounced a single unit. Ta-da! And by the way, the legal arguments for extending the marriage franchise to queer couples simply acknowledge that gay men and lesbians are members of the human family, complete with photographers, caterers, and the challenge of juggling Thanksgiving between two families of origin. Every wedding is an invocation of peace and wholeness and connection and joy. Good wishes flow from family and friends, through history and community, with wings and prayers and everything that might turn out to be holy in the universe. So that's why Jim and I got married --- to receive that shower of blessings, hoping with all our hearts to make them last."

What beautiful words. And a beautiful understanding of this institution.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Books in Hardcover

I went to the bookstore this weekend after a wonderful trip to Atlanta to see friends. As I was walking around looking for my next good read, I was reminded how much I love hardcover books.

There is something special about the heaviness. It feels substantial as I read. I love the sound as I drop it on the floor and roll over to sleep. And how the dust jacket flap serves as my bookmark.

Call me crazy.

I'm reading Little Bee by Chris Cleave. It is wonderful - hope to finish tonight!


And my weekend was joyous! I got to spend some quality time with some best friends. When we're together it feels like we've never been apart!