A Joyful Weekend

I was going to sit down and write about my brother's wedding, which I attended this past Saturday in Washington DC, but it turns out I'm too full of happiness to even write about it. I can't capture the joyfulness of it all, and anything I write will be woefully inadequate. Looking back on it, it seems we packed a week's worth of emotion into one day. All the details have blended into one warm, glowing blur. But the highlights that stand out for me were these:

• the feeling of recognition as the Larsens walked into the lobby, even though I'd never met them
• the peaceful smile on my brother's face
• Carol's big brother telling her she looked beautiful (how often do you hear that between siblings?)
• the hugs and the laughter and the tears  
• the fun of sharing a bedroom with my niece and my sisters, like slipping back into childhood
• the nine-year-old nephew who felt perfectly comfortable tagging along with new in-laws he'd only just met
• we siblings spontaneously bursting into the same song without planning it, right on cue
• the instant feeling that Carol's sisters were my sisters, even though I may never see them again
• the sunlight gilding the temple spires
• the perfect flawless blue sky
• the darkness of Brian's suit against the white swirl of Carol's wedding gown as she and Brian waltzed in the middle of Dennys restaurant while the cook staff took photos with their cellphones. Dennys will never be the same again!

I have never attended a more perfect, beautiful event or felt more surrounded by love. Now I honestly know what it's like to experience pure joy.