are you happy together?

Today my sister Anshin and her husband Peter celebrated their wedding, which took place legally last October. As we said, last October was a commitment in the eyes of the law and God. Today, it was a commitment in front of God and their families.

My mother, an ordained minister, presided over a short, but deep, ceremony. In the ceremony she spoke of love, true love, that is the only thing that really lasts. The beliefs we have, or the traditions, only exist to bring us closer to true love. Reading from the Cheong Soeng Gyong, a book of sacred texts of my church, the Unificationists, and the Bible, the most memorable and important quote came, surprisingly, from a Alexander McCall Smith novel. A character in the book, reflecting on a wedding she had just attended, pondered that perhaps we could do away with all the fancy words and the somber vows in weddings and be left with the only question that truly matters. Are you happy together?

Never mind that the musicians (my other sisters and I) hadn't really had enough time to practice, and it didn't matter that, due the the weather, the ceremony started almost an hour late. There wasn't a dry eye in the small gathering, and not a trace of doubt in the eyes of the bride and groom.

So, the minister asked, Peter and Anshin, are you happy together? They looked at each other and said yes. Never mind that it was supposed to be in unison, I saw the look in the their eyes and that was enough for me.