I Fall in Love With Him Every Time I See Him!

This last Saturday I officiated Ben and Sean's wedding in St. Paul, Minnesota. Now, Minnesota may be cold, in terms of climate, but this wedding was full of energy, love and warmth. It also had the biggest Chuppah I ever officiated under. Here are the remarks I shared with this special couple and their guests:

I wanted to let you in on a secret regarding my creative process. When I want to write personal remarks like these, I find that listening to music is helpful. (Maybe it is similar to figure skating in that sense, Ben...) Now, sharing an iTunes account with my 17.5 year old daughter means that sometimes hitting shuffle on my iPod is shall we say, an "interesting" experience. I know this will make me sound like the quintessential dorky dad (which is what my daughter is sure I am), but she is into some songs that I would not ever find on my own... In all seriousness, though, that can be a wonderful thing, like it ended up being in this case.

When I sat down to write these remarks, the song that came on was one by a German techno artist, who goes by the moniker, Cascada. Here is what I heard:

'Cause everytime we touch, I get this feeling.
And everytime we kiss I swear I could fly.
Can't you feel my heart beat fast, I want this to last.
Need you by my side.
'Cause everytime we touch, I feel the static.
And everytime we kiss, I reach for the sky.
Can't you hear my heart beat so...
I can't let you go.
Want you in my life.

This reminded me of something Sean wrote in describing his love for Ben, "I fall in love with him every time I see him." How beautiful is that! Isn't that what we all hope for in a relationship with a spouse?

Now, it is important to clarify how genuine this sentiment is. You see, Ben and Sean have not only been together for a good while; they have withstood the ultimate test, one that usually will separate the men from the boys, so to speak, a lengthy long distance relationship. Ben and Sean not only endured through this challenge, they thrived through it.

Set upon that background, the feeling of falling in love every time you see your lover is a deeply meaningful and genuine one. This tells you that what Ben and Sean have here is tremendously unique and special. This tells you that they are indeed in Ben's words, "ready to pronounce and announce [their] love and commitment to each other in front of all of the people [they] most love." Not only that, it tells us that we can, by observing them, their love and their relationship, learn a thing or two.

So, Ben and Sean, thank you for this wonderful lesson. May you and we continue to cherish our lovers and fall in love every time we see them.