two weddings and a funeral

in the span of one month (exactly 30 days) i've attended two weddings and a funeral

the first was my nephew's wedding officiated by his uncle, my brother a lively and lavish affair in florida which included many fascinating components of a traditional hindu bridal ceremony

the second was the intimate wedding of the daughter of one of my best friends also officiated by an uncle and punctuated by lovely vows for her adorable new stepdaughter

though the funeral was difficult a vibrant young woman, only 34 years old much too young to be saying her goodbyes an amazingly moving tribute penetrated the excruciating sadness of the standing-room-only crowd

i once babysat her mom and her aunt and consider them my little sisters sometimes the circle of life seems skewed

this service included rituals from the young woman's native american roots the hauntingly beautiful drum-and-song solo still reverberating on in my heart

so it was a bit of an event whirlwind and i was grateful to be present at all three

but one thing i noticed with surprise in different ways at each was how, at certain moments i felt somewhat removed, even separate from what was happening

as a spectator, i'd taken a step back and almost felt as if i might be infringing upon the sacredness within a trespass on the very private joy and grief

it's kept me thinking about the concept of ceremony ever since

what does ceremony mean to us as humans?

this formal occasion, celebrating a specific event with a specific purpose following a certain protocol to mark one of life’s essential moments

reflecting certain cultures and beliefs traditions and hopes eliciting emotions and sparking memories

a context in which to accept change as a collective aligning the group in this shared experience

i have, of course, felt this feeling of oneness before it's what many spend their lives seeking but i've found myself analyzing things more in depth lately, and i guess i've become a pseudo-cultural anthropologist these last several weeks

an outside observer filled with curiosity about customs and practices about this world and this life         tweet