Everybody loves a wedding - especially me!

                                                              Claire and Miguel
    At 7:47 this morning  Tom and I will (hopefully) be in the air and on our way to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.  Isn't "Sky Harbor" a wonderful name for an airport?  I picture myself stepping from the plane into a big, glassed-in dome up in the clouds.
    Alas, the Phoenix airport is on the ground like every other airport I've ever been in, but this time I really will be walking on a cloud of happiness for my daughter Claire and her fiance Miguel who will be married on Saturday in Miguel's hometown of Wickenburg, Arizona.
    I love weddings - don't we all? -  with all the trimmings: the ceremony, the reception,  the food,  the dancing, the cake!
    Though I thought it was a dumb movie, I totally got the concept of  "The Wedding Crashers",  the story of  two guys who enjoy weddings so much that  every weekend they go out looking for one to crash.
    But I think what really makes weddings so wonderful is the happiness in the air. 
    I've known of a number  instances where the wedding stress  among the families has been so high that right up until the day of the wedding people have been ready to throttle each other.
    And yet when the moment finally arrives everyone always lays down their guns and get caught up in the joy and celebration.
    Sometimes just the thought of a wedding is enough to bring out the best in people.
    Yesterday Claire told me the story of how she carried her bridal gown in a garment bag onto the plane with her as she flew from Chicago to Phoenix.
    She said that everyone who caught sight of her "David's Bridal" bag, from the check-in agents to the TSA folks to the flight attendants seemed happy for her and offered her good wishes.
    When she boarded the plane the flight attendant helped her carefully fold her gown and place it in an overhead  bin.
    But then along came another passenger, a well-dressed man who opened the bin,  grabbed  Claire's dress, carelessly tossed it onto a seat then proceeded to put his own and his wife's luggage into the bin.
    Within moments the flight attendant came charging down the aisle and gave the guy a proper tongue-lashing for throwing Claire's gown on the seat. Then the flight attendant took Claire's gown, carefully refolded it and placed it into a different empty bin then closed the bin and announced that no one else was to use that bin because it was for Claire's wedding dress.
    How nice was that?  I guess weddings just do that to people.
    Much as I love weddings, though, I must admit that my favorite weddings so far have been those of my two daughters and the wonderful guys they married:

Phill and Theresa

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Maria and Justin

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And my sister Romaine's beautiful wedding to Rick, also a wonderful guy and the love of her life.  They shared only a few happy years together before Rick was taken by cancer.

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    And on Saturday when Claire and her wonderful guy tie the knot I'll have another joy-filled wedding to add to the list.