Sunday, December 1, 2013

Deep with a Capital D

Last night, Saturday 11/30, I officiated Sowmia and Matt's wedding at the Memory Lane in Dripping Springs, Texas. Here are the personal remarks I shared with them and their guests:

You know those stories about love at first sight? Two people see each other across a crowded room, their eyes lock, and then and there they know, they were meant for each other. Cue the music, and we see the montage of them meeting, embracing and riding off into the sunset...

Yea; not this couple. In fact, they are very open about the fact that it took each of them some time to figure the other one out. Then again, these two are way too intelligent and too deep for any fake Hollywoodesque love story.

No, their story, their thoughts about themselves and their place in the world are so much more evolved. This is not surprising, since as their friends will tell you, these are two sophisticated individuals. I ask each person I marry to write a short autobiographical essay. Some are more detailed than others, but the essays these two wrote are Deep, with a capital D.

Listen to this from Matt; this guy will certainly publish, not perish. Despite his lingering uncertainties about life he says:

"I knew that there was nobody I could love more than Sowmia... I was, and am, more certain of her than I am of myself: that she loves me, trusts me, and wants the best for me...
I know that I'm a better person for having known her... I live a happier, healthier, more open, and more moral life... Other people who have known me for a very long time have told me that I'm much better with her...

My instincts with love are to question what it means to love and be loved, but I know... that I love her... She is more caring than anyone I know, and... she is the one I want to wrestle with uncertainty with and... enjoy happiness with. This kind of certainty is rare for me, but that's fine, because it makes me feel very lucky..."

And Sowmia, she describes the past, the present and the future of this team so beautifully. About Matt once she started to get to know him, she says:
"He was... remarkably caring – he was always willing to listen... Maybe what I liked most about Matt was his ability to make me laugh.  He regaled me with stories of pure ridiculousness, and could find humor in just about any situation...

Matt’s unconditional support of me makes me more confident in myself, and makes me into a stronger person as a result. When I’ve had a bad day... Matt is the first person I turn to – and as cheesy as this sounds, he just makes my heart happy.

When we have kids, Matt will be a fantastic father; loving and funny and charming as always, but also a great role model of our values... I am so lucky to have found such a wonderful partner."

Sowmia and Matt, you both feel lucky to have each other. We feel lucky to take part in celebrating such a mature and deep love story like yours. May that love, indeed, continue to deepen with each passing day.