Special people

A very, very close friend of mine got married this past weekend.  Actually, 2 friends of mine got married this past weekend, to each other.

I’m not much of a public speaker, so I didn’t bother to give a toast or anything.  She knows how special a person she is.  He knows what I think of him.

But just in case they don’t (despite the fact that neither of them will be reading this) this is what I would have said:

 

We all know Mel and Carl.  We all know the relationship they have.  We all know how well they fit together and how perfect she is for him and how perfect he is for her.  But what you may not know—wouldn’t be able to know—is how I see these fine folks. 

Melanie’s the kind of person that would pour out the last bit of herself to help someone else.  She’s the type of person who would drive across town on the day of her own wedding rehearsal to give a ride to her mom even though it meant that all of you folks wound up being early to her wedding rehearsal.  She’s the kind of person who, when asked by a friend, would clean out the litter boxes of 4—yes, 4—cats while he was off asking his girlfriend to become his fiancée.  Then, after being the only person to accept the request to come and take care of the filthy little monsters for a full week, had the gall to apologize because she just dumped the litter and refilled the pans instead of merely scooping the filth out.  It was probably the cleanest litter those cats have ever used.  And, as if her ticket to heaven wasn’t already punched, she goes and gives a LitterMaid as a wedding present.  She’s the kind of person who, when she knows you’re having a really rough week and your wife is suffering from morning sickness and you’re suffering from your wife’s morning sickness, will come over and do the dishes (without being asked) because you’re just worn down, worn out, and simply don’t have the energy to care.  She may be leaving a pile of dishes at home, but that’s why she’s bringing her new dishwasher home today.  She’s the kind of person you can share a unique language with.  And when I tip my glass to her and say “you’re a very, very special person” she knows exactly what I mean, even if most everybody doesn’t.

And then there’s Carl.  I don’t have as much to say about him as Mel because I haven’t known him as long.  However, as long as I’ve known him there’s never been an emotion that he’s easily expressed, a simple answer he hasn’t extended to a 45 minute explanation, or a simple process he hasn’t managed to rework into a 4 week project.  But more importantly he’s steady.  That may not sound all fantastic, but it’s a remarkable trait.  You know what you’re getting with Carl.  He is simply, and complicatedly, Carl.  I’m almost certain that if I am ever wrong, Carl will tell me so, and I can trust his judgment.  I am equally certain that if I am right, Carl will back me come hell or high water.  Now, when the canoe comes to rescue us from high water he may insist on building a dock before getting in, but that’s just Carl.

And that’s the remarkable thing about these two.  Carl is smooth and steady.  Mel has a tendency to be a little emotional.  Carl is very much “do”, Mel is very much “feel”.  If they were a sandwich they’d be peanut butter and jelly.  They’re made for each other.  Someone like Melanie deserves the best.  Someone like Carl deserves the best.  Congratulations, you two.  You found it in each other.  I can say from personal experience—and I suspect folks who’ve been doing the “married thing” longer than I have will back me on this—that it only gets better. 

To being married, to two very special people, to every next day being better than the last.

Cheers.