Charlie and Larry

Why would Charlie and Larry have us seated that way?  In the reception, the bride and groom usually sit with the sponsors and parents, not with a seemingly random group of people, friends they may be.  But as Sec. Dinky said after people were volunteering to transfer tables, it was not an accident.  We soon traced the connections, the coming-full-circles and other reasons why of course we were destined to be seatmates in a beautiful, inspiring celebration starting a unique couple's new life.

It started out with the most animated and creative mass delivered by Fr. Elis complete with props, blinking lights and bubbles.  This is the homily that I wish can be put on You Tube soon so I can immediately share with others because it drove home many points in a manner that makes you want to jump out of the pew and grab people, shake them up and demand, how may I serve you.  After hearing the homily, I wanted to run to my former boss, Sec. Dinky and ask her if I could do something, anything, just give me an assignment please.

To married couples old and new, Fr. Elis delivered punch after punch of powerful truths.  He tells Charlie that she's not marrying the best man.  The best man is somewhere out there but it's certainly not Larry.  We don't marry perfect persons period.  It's an idea that we know at the back of our minds but because it's at the back, we often forget it and expect too much or something else from another individual who can never be our exact replica.

When I thought that Fr. Elis has pulled out all the props from his cassock, he surprises us with something else -- blowing bubbles over the altar and making it into such an unexpectedly meaningful metaphor for our faith.  He says we should just be as light, joyful and carefree as bubbles.  Sometimes the bubbles disappear as joy often does in our lives but that's why we have to go back to the source, dip into the container of soap so that we may be refreshed and full of joy once more.  If you want to have joy more often, dip into the source more often.

Then there were the speeches at the reception.  Hearing Charlie's Mom was doubly amazing for me because I consider her to be such a nurturing mentor who has patiently and skilfully guided me through session after session of financial planning and management.  Her eloquence was all the more amplified because here she was "giving away" a daughter, hesitantly but ultimately surpassed with a completely embracing grace.

I was touched by a nephew's testimony about the groom.  It confirmed my suspicions since before that Larry was one great guy for my friend, Charlie.  He was the type of uncle who didn't play a background role in the lives of his pamangkins.  He was at the forefront, pro-actively taking them out, spending time with them, giving them a shining example to follow.

Then back to the mystery of why we were at table one instead of someplace else.  Officials from the World Food Program mingled with an urban planning barrista who turned out to be working for an ex-boss in my long-ago architecture days when I met Sec. Dinky doing my dream project of cleaning up the Pasig River.  It turns out that ASec. JV who was there at the table too, is currently working on an estero rehabilitation with in-city relocation for squatters which was exactly my big dream way back then -- and still is but on hold. Sec. Dinky remembers vividly the thesis of my friend, Yancey who designed in-city relocation in Intramuros using stacked container vans with a twist -- the elevator was an old ferris wheel.

And the urban planning barrista was such one dreamer too putting up Coffee Aid to help coffee farmers, advocating fair trade and organizing tree planting activities in the Cordilleras.