SUNRISE, SUNSET

30 December 2001

By now most of the 22 offspring of the group of five families which started lifelong friendships in college have married--at least once. There are a few stragglers left, and a couple more weddings coming up in 2002.

Today was the wedding of Lara, the last of four children in one of the families. She was marrying her Australia love This was the second ceremony for the couple. They had a civil ceremony overlooking Sydney harbour earlier in the month, and today was the religious ceremony (now there's a girl who knows how to get the most for her bridal dress dollars!)

Lara and Dave light the family candle

The faithful all assembled. I looked around at us, standing outside the priory in the rain, blowing bubbles while waiting for the bride and groom to emerge....

...and realized that with the exception of Walt, who had gone off to Santa Barbara with Jeri to visit Tom, we were all there. I thought about all the events where we have gathered together -- parties, baptisms, weddings, funerals. We've seen each other through divorce and illness. It's kind of like one gigantic mass marriage -- for better, for worse, in sickness and in health until death do us part. It's rare to have a group of friends which has been so consistently there. We may not see each other often, we may have lost the closeness we once had when we all lived near each other, but when these major life events come up, there we all are, huddled under umbrellas, there to support each other or rejoice with each other.

We sat in a beautiful hotel reception room overlooking all of the Bay Area (or it would have overlooked all of the Bay Area if it hadn't been rainy out and San Francisco covered by grey clouds) and remembered back nearly 40 years ago when the bride's parents had their wedding reception in this same hotel--probably in this same room.

Life does come full circle.

As the DJ played music, we of the first generation watched those of the second generation on the dance floor with the kids of the third generation. It's nice to know that the rhythm of life continues.

This is my favorite picture--
young Jack sneaking a taste of the frosting
on the wedding cake!