I met Vivi in 7th grade science class. We pretty much immediately hit it off. We had a lot of important things in common. It had been surprisingly difficult to find another preteen Streisand fan and watcher of The Golden Girls up until then.
I have always considered her one of the best people I have ever known. Anyone who knows Vivi is aware of her intellect, compassion, and incredible sense of humor. She is one of those rare folks you can turn to in life's scariest or saddest moments and she instantly helps. No matter the demands of her own world, she will take the time to ground a friend who is adrift or bring a laugh when it is needed most.
I don't know Mr. all that well, but from what Vivi has told me and from what I have seen- in addition to being creative, funny, and generally wonderful... he is one of those rare folks too.
A wedding, in the simplest sense, celebrates love. A marriage is part celebration, but also it is about navigating life's constant chaos and I think Vivi and Mr. have a good team going. It is all about meeting the perfect partner- they just come in so handy.
Vivi is one of the first friends I found for myself as I was growing out of childhood. We were not brought together because our families were friendly or because we lived in the same neighborhood or happened to share the same kindergarten teacher. Twenty-three years ago, I decided to strike up a conversation with the girl sitting at the lab table behind me- in my whole life- it will always be one of the best decisions I ever made.
I wish Vivi, and her Mr., nothing but happiness- because nobody deserves it more.
Now there's a good toast! :) Hear, hear!
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, I got a bit misty-eyed in my cube reading this toast....Vivi is like my parallel counterpart, with Lorelei connecting us. I am so happy that Vivi found an amazing partner to share her life with.
ReplyDeleteLorelei, Way to get me mist-eyed too! (And three days AFTER the wedding day no less).
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm glad we chose each other in friendship too. One of the great things that meeting you taught me is that I could and should trust my instincts when it came to recognizing and appreciating kindred spirits (like Mae and JK). :)