No. 19

So. Like.

Do you ever have those days where you feel like Tracy Chapman is the only one who truly understands?

Oh.

Well. I do.

Anyway. This morning I downloaded R. Kelly's "Ignition [Remix]." Because I remembered last night that it was my favorite song of all time. Besides the Cha Cha Slide and whatever other ones I've mentioned on this site. I'm not going to put that down as a Grain of Fire per se...because it has a questionable analogy about a car key...but it brought me a lot of happiness whilst walking about the streets of Chicago today.

Hokay, 3 things:

1. I went to the most beautiful wedding that has ever existed last night. I mean seriously. No one should even get married now. Because they cannot top last night's celebration. Nobody can. Sorry. And nobody can beat the bride or the groom. They are the two most excellent people alive. And now they are married to each other. So why do the rest of us even bother?

Okay I am being a little absurd. But it's true. Anyway. There were so many grains of fire last night it would take an entire new blog to list them all. There were brightly-colored cupcakes. There were French caterers. There was music that took me to the heights of joy. There was MAJOR DANCING. There were friends old and new.

There was a moment when a boy told another boy, "My girlfriend is the hottest girl on the dance floor."

There was a moment when I said "This was kind of me and B's song" and I felt sad. So A., in all her radiance, said "Let's make it our song!" and she invited me to dance. And dance we did.

There was a moment when I told N. how much I missed Seattle. And he said, "I can't imagine missing such a wonderful place." But he can imagine, and that is why I appreciate him so much.

And a ceremony that brought tears to every eye and laughs to every mouth and fuzziness to every heart. Was it the Bjork song covered by a gorgeous voice and a 10-piece band? The simple and powerful homily? The beauty of the two happiest families alive uniting via their children/siblings? Kate's smile? Adrian's gentle voice repeating those ancient vows like I have never heard them repeated?

THE PERFORMANCE PIECE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CEREMONY?!

It was all too good to be true. And God was very very there.

2. Today after work [my last shift! my last shift!] I went to the new Whole Foods--the largest in the USA! It was spectacular of course. Though the word "foodie" makes me nauseated, it's all I could think of in that store. It was just so...foodie. And colorful. And happy!

I bought some organic natural hippie mint chocolate chip gelato [it wasn't green!] and sat outside by the river. I was warm and content, despite secretly wishing that Antoine the Caprese Sandwich-loving Frenchman were sitting across from me whispering sweet nothings. But the little moment itself--the river and the warm and the ice cream and the end of a negative situation...this was all very liberating, very sweet, much loved by me.

3. Today is Priest Sarah's birthday, AND Tyler and Kelli's first wedding anniversary. I am so thankful for all three people involved here, celebrating their own loveliness today.

Oh look at me at T & K's weddin' looking completely ridiculous. What else is new.