Saturday, July 24, 2010

Tracy and Kate best man wedding speech

I was told I only got two minutes.  And anyone that knows Tracy knows that it takes far more than two minutes to share Tracy’s traits with everyone and to congratulate him on the wonderful wife that he has just taken.  So after much deliberation and review, I was able to cut my speech down to the following.

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marriage-rings I’ve known Tracy since we were 12. There is only a week between us and we have been through many different life changing events. All of you know where Tracy is today, many of you have even been able to share moments of his journey with him, but few have had a chance to see him change the way that I have.

Tracy has dated some very odd girls, even some very dark women. There was a period in Tracy’s life that he lived at night. He pretended to be a vampire and played live action roll playing games. It is quite a site to see grown women and men walking around playing “rock, paper, scissors” and holding fingers up in front of them to show that they are invisible.

He has always worked to earn the approval of the people around him. Playing by their rules, struggling to fit in, while pushing to the top to be a leader. He has been constantly changing, working to adapt to the people around him, moving to where ever he thought life would be better. It has been exciting to see him find himself, and to be himself.

20 October 2007:  Michigan State Spartans  cheerleader during the Spartans 24-17 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus Ohio. Before he could commit to someone else, he needed to find himself. When Tracy first told me about Katie, I was skeptical. I was curious to find out more about this “Hot Freshman”, that he had met in college, but doubted this deep connection that he said was growing.

Tracy is a brother to me, I’ve always watched his back, and tried to support him in whatever it was he wanted to do, but also tried to protect him from getting hurt. I remember telling him to be careful with this relationship, and not to grow too attached. I feared that she wouldn’t be ready for his strong personality, and that they both hadn’t figured out what they wanted from life.

When I finally did meet her for the first time, I was shocked. I couldn’t believe that he had finally found and caught what seemed to be a normal girl. Typically his girlfriends would be dumb and beautiful, or smart and strange. As the night unfolded, I was constantly looking for a fault. She wasn’t just normal, but extraordinary and when they left, I turned to my wife and said. “Wow, she is really awesome.” Tracy had finally found someone that was the whole package.

Over the next several months, we spoke more often. I was very curious to see how this relationship would unfold. I was worried that she was just another person to help boost his ego. I tried to stay close, in case he lost this woman he was falling in love with, but noticed that he spoke differently about her. I could tell that she was someone special.

[Turn to Tracy]
perfect-bride I’d like to congratulate you on finding such a wonderful woman. As men we are looking to create a legacy, looking for a woman to support us on our journey, but as husbands, we are looking to support our wives and to protect them and the families we build.

[To Katie]
Katie. As you know, you have just married a very stubborn and strong man. I know that he will always be there to protect you and to stand by you through every battle that life brings your way. Even when you’re angry with him, and need some more space. He will be right there. It is out of love that he stands next to your side. Try not to hold this against him.

[To Both of them]
One of the pieces of advice that stands out most to me, that I want to pass on to you both, is that Love and Marriage is a daily decision. Every day you need to wake up and decide that you are committed to your husband or wife. Regardless of the events that are going to unfold that day, you are deciding that you will work through and stand by your spouse through anything.

God created marriage, and it is through this holy matrimony, that you both will be blessed. He has created it as life long, submissive, commitment to each other. Often the world looks at God’s design as a marriage of bondage, and tries to reshape it. It will push you and pull you in various different directions. It will tell you that marriage is in the way of your own personal advancement, and try to persuade you to seek your own treasures. It is through these fires that your marriage will become stronger, and blessings will be forged.

[To All]
fruit-of-the-spirit-tree-marriage-life I’d like everyone to join me in raising their glass as we thank God that he has brought this couple together, and ask that he continue to bless them. That He may give them strength and knowledge, wisdom in the face of challenges, love, joy and patience with each other, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, and peace within their home.

To Tracy and Katie.

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