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A bicycle built for two
(by Michael Dennehy - July 02, 2008)
The other night I went into the bedroom to hit the sack. Kay was already in bed and had the TV on. She was watching “Bridezillas” of all things. I may have mentioned that our daughter Amy is getting married in October. Since then they both, shall I say, have been absorbed with anything having to do with weddings.
There are plenty of cable shows dealing with weddings and marriage. “Bridezillas” takes the cake (wedding?). To me it’s a horror flick. The show is “edited to emphasize the bad behavior of the subjects.” No kidding? It also was the highest rated show on the WE network. That night it featured a young bride who spent her wedding day complaining about everything: the ceremony, the reception, even the toast to the bride and groom. She kept frowning at the minister, obviously disapproving the way he conducted the service. She kept telling her new husband, “I just want to get out of here.” The other segment saw the bride trying to wean another $1000 out of her mother for a better dress – “Oh please, mommy?” Just like a 4-year old with that pitiful look and all.
Amy is nothing like that. She is pretty laid back, realistic and not at all demanding as to her wedding plans. She knows what she wants and the plans have gone very well.
Coincidentally Kay and I just attended another wedding. This celebration happened in
Minneapolis . It was for her grand nephew Jason and his beloved ‘Kat’, short for Kathrine.
Jason and Kat are Mennonites and got married at the
Faith
Mennonite
Church in
Minneapolis . The weather was perfect – sunny, moderate temperature. I had heard of the Mennonites but was not certain of the beliefs espoused. The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptists named for Menno Simons (1496-1561). It is a peace church committed to nonviolence and pacifism. There are about 1.5 million Mennonites worldwide. They provide immediate and long-term responses to hurricanes, floods and other disasters. They also have long-term international development programs around the world. Kat and Jason spent two years in teaching English as a second language.
Jason is a botanist. Kat works at a home for mentally/physically disabled adults. Kat and Jason choose to live “just a little above the poverty line.” Jason rides his bike to work (he loves that bike!) Their wedding bespoke their chosen lifestyle. Wedding invitations were handwritten notes, inviting friends to the wedding, address, time and where the reception would be held: at a pavilion in
Como
Park . They asked that no gifts be given but suggested donations be made to charity. Attendees were invited to bring food for themselves along with a little more for out-of-town guests. That would be us along with a few others. About 175 attended the wedding.
The service was simple and beautiful. The music was provided by friends of the couple. Red-headed Kat wore her mother’s wedding dress and she was barefoot. Jason wore a suit and tie. Bridesmaids wore flowing colorful skirts and simple tops. The service was maybe a half-hour, then an hour for photographs. Finally, my favorite part of the affair – the couple left for the reception… on Jason’s bicycle! Yes his bicycle, which was adorned with white balloons and tin cans. Kat hiked up her dress and hopped on the back. Kat’s mother called out, “Be careful with that dress Kat! Your sister has to wear it!” They rode off to their apartment, which was only a few blocks away as the crowd cheered and applauded. They would change there and return for the reception. You can imagine the response of neighbors as they rode by. It lifted everybody’s day no doubt.
The food at the reception was outstanding! The folks had provided just about anything you can imagine. The desserts were everything from brownies, pies, pastries – everything bad for you but oh so good! The music was mostly polkas – “Yah!” – and some Latin. The music was furnished by a stereo set up just outside the pavilion. The younger crowd had a great time dancing ‘til they wore themselves out. We older adults sat around eating and jabbering. A touching note – among those invited were six or seven tenants from the home Kat works at. They ranged in age from 20 to 60, some in wheelchairs. They seemed to enjoy the food most all.
I’ll always remember this wedding especially the young couple pedaling off into the sun and just being grateful for their lives and service.
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