I work with a fabulous team of teachers. We call ourselves Team Kindergarten and last year, one of those teammates left to teach in New York. We were all devastated, knowing that an integral part of our team was leaving us. We all knew it was the right decision for him, but we all missed him and his contributions to our team. In the end, it was the right choice because he met the love of his life, found a new teaching job and is just so happy. We haven’t seen him for awhile, but today, was his wedding day and Team Kindergarten was reunited with him as he got married.
It was an outdoor, morning wedding on Long Island – which can be a very long ride from New Jersey on a weekend in the summer. We gave ourselves three hours for the two hour trip… just in case. It was pouring when we left. Something no one wants for their wedding day. Because of the rain, there was much less traffic than usual and we made it there in two hours. Since we were early and the wedding was at someone’s home, we decided to drive around, grab a cup of tea and coffee and wait. About fifteen minutes before the wedding, we pulled up to the house and saw a big tent truck in the driveway and knew there would be a delay. Turns out, they hadn’t anticipated rain and the delay would be longer than they expected and we were all asked to wait in our cars. Unfortunately, the wait would be for an hour and a half. We decided to drive around and find somewhere that we could have a drink and maybe a quick snack while we waited.
As the time passed, the skies cleared up and the rain slowed down. We headed back to the wedding, were welcomed warmly and found our seats under the big tent. As the groom entered the tent, he was beaming. I don’t know if I have ever seen him so happy. The wedding was completely in Spanish and the four of us were probably the only ones who did not understand what was being said. Despite the language barrier, we didn’t need a translator to tell us how much love was being expressed. I have been at enough weddings to know that “basics” so it wasn’t too hard to follow along. One new thing we witnessed today was when the bride and groom washed each others feet. I learned that foot washing at a wedding is “symbolic of a commitment to service. Since a husband and wife are supposed to love and to serve one another, it is a way to demonstrate their commitment to Christian service and to each another.”
After the ceremony the bride and groom walked around greeting their guests. As he headed over to our table, I heard him tell her that he had to come and see his school family. That is exactly what we are to each other. A family and I am so happy that we were there to share in this special day.
A Project for Kindness 