You will find, as you look back upon your life,
that the moments when you really lived
are the moments when you have done things
in the spirit of love.
-- Henry Drummond
Tour the gallery
The concept of love is almost an universal experience. Most of us have had the fortune to experience it in a warm, calm, and nurturing environment ever since we last had little hands, little feet, and little tiny weeny fingernails. That warmth was here in this place, for this place was the temple of love. In two people coming together in a moment of pure unity, we groomed and then wept for the beauty of it all, in that single moment of perfect-ness. The leaves were falling, the first snow flakes of the season were upon us, and the sun was shining, and the prairie land had come together in celebration of a single event.
As we drove to this temple of love, we moved toward the horizon, that seemed expansive and reached out forever, symbolizing Brook and Tina's future together. It was as if nothing was lacking, or at least lacking nothing essential to the whole, and complete with its nature.
The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be touched or even seen, they must be felt with the heart. We wanted that moment to stay still, for birds to suspend in air mid-flight, for time to stop moving. Yet if everything stopped in its continuum, then we could not experience the falling of the leaves, the crispness of the autumn air, and the beauty of the birds streaming above us. So reluctantly we allow the time to seep slowly away from us.
What follows is a photographic journal of the events that united us, that made a pair husband and wife, that turned close friends into "family". It is the technology's attempt in capturing time and its continuum. I had tried to make the lens my window into this experience, yet I was only able to capture bits and pieces of the emotions that drew out of us.
The Taiwanese words for a spouse is "chem-chou", which means "to hold each others' hand". It is the ultimate compliment to the state of harmony. I had the pleasure to experience it as part of the wedding party, the wedding family. I laughed, I cried, and I rejoiced. Most of all, I learned. I learned that happiness isn't in a single moment. It is built from the ground up, from many years of nurturing care and attention. We were part of a cultivation of solidarity and fellowship. It is the duration of our lives that drives the beauty of this single moment.
Weave your hands
To wed means you have woven your hands.
Together, you will expand your minds.
To tie means you have connected your hearts.
Together, you will jointly navigate your chart.
Join hands with your bride,
and set your dissimilarities aside.
Rejoice marriage with your groom,
and yet assure your individual room.
We shall celebrate your holy affirmation.
For now, accept my sincere ovations.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |