The Night of January 14th

My friends Arena Mueller and Walter Foddis exchanged vows yesterday evening. It was a very intimate ceremony held at a national landmark - one of the top floors of Frank Lloyd Wright's tallest tower, in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. For a Wright fan, like me, who had never visited the building before, it was quite the destination wedding.

Arena and Walter actually met at a get-together my wife had organized. It was just our usually discussion club, but they both happened to attend that night. Walter was visiting from Canada!

My wife said last night that she had not been involved in matchmaking, but that she had been very glad when they ended up together, since she thinks so highly of both of them, and since they seemed so suited to each other.

Attendees were asked to make their own declarations, whether spontaneous heartfelt words, or prepared comments. Poems were specifically invited, so I wrote one, which I quoted from this morning on this blog. Arena's sister, Rachael, also wrote her own poem, which I liked a lot, and another relative read a poem as well.

They modeled their wedding ceremony after the Quaker practice in which a couple would declare that they were marrying, and witnesses would sign a document certifying the marriage.

I signed on the line.
The honor was mine.
May their love and joy continue to shine.