The Wedding

Yes!  The wedding that so many of us watched on Saturday morning.  I thought it was wonderful.
Here is what I like about it

 - The beauty of the day and the excitement of the crowd.  I loved seeing everyone dressed up and the colorful clothes and HATS that the women wore.  I go to weddings now and often there is not a sense of the specialness of the occasion that is reflected in the clothes.  People look like they have just come from work or shopping.

 - The traditional ceremonial aspect with familiar prayers, choirs and soaring music. 

 - The choir that sang "Stand by me" and the 19 year old cellist.

 - The preacher who was so impassioned and so different from the usual English Episcopalian style..

 -  watching her leave her carriage and have ten children behind her managing her train.  It was a picture!

 - Seeing her walk down the aisle by herself.  After the debacle with her father, it just seemed natural for her to begin as her independent self

 - Watching Prince Charles then meet her and finish the walk down the long aisle.  As in many weddings I have performed, I was aware of his own broken marital history.  .  And Meghan herself was divorced, so that this is a new beginning.

 - Seeing her mother sitting in her own box across from the queen.  It is easy to try to imagine her thoughts in this extraordinary setting, but I remembered sitting and watching my daughter's husband make promises to her and it is a joy that is beyond words.

- Watching the littlle bit we could see of the relationship with the bride and groom.  It was in so many ways familiar for me to see a couple begin their life together and just plain heartwarming.

Today on the news as they did the recap, I just felt a sense of joy for all of us.  I have always been fascinated with the royal family and I think about the TV shows that have imprinted themselves in my psyche - like "Upstairs, Downstairs," "Downton Abbey" and "The Crown."  There is something about the attention to detail and the decorum of the "upper" class as presented  that is appealing  And that was part of this wedding spectacle.  At the same time, to see the diversity and sense of unity and just JOY  here was extraordinary.

So, let us hope that this is just the beginning of Meghan and Harry's helping to bring both tradition
and modernity together.  .