I've been having a lot of "bigger than me" moments lately. You know those times where the world stops and you realize how far reaching your actions really are? For a somewhat impulsive soul like myself, these moments are vital, especially considering my work. It's important for me to realize the impact my words have.
I had one of those moments last night. I am preparing for 2 weddings to the same couple over the next 2 weeks. I've never done a wedding before, but these are good friends of mine that asked me to marry them, who am I to say no? I blogged about it here. It was way back in April 2008 when they asked, didn't seem like the day would ever come and here it is. It is definitely one of those bigger than me times. I've worried, wanting it to be perfect, since it is something they will remember for the rest of their lives. The energy seems HUGE. Will I do okay? I thought I'd be really nervous but I'm surprisingly very calm and excited for it to be here finally, it just feels so right.
I've been researching wedding ceremonies and vows, since they are not a traditional couple and I'm not a traditional rev. it's been fun exploring different styles and ideas of what we should do. A very good friend and yoga student of mine has a daughter who got married last year with a non traditional service so she gave me a DVD of the ceremony to get some ideas.
This friend of mine has had a tremendous impact on my life. She has been instrumental in guiding me through the last couple years of starting up my own business, really helping me learn to honor myself and my talents, she is a large part of who Yolinna Spirit is today. She came to me for yoga when she was going through an extremely tough time in her own life, taking care of her extremely ill parents while dealing with a very scary illness of her own. She has always shown me so much gratitude for my classes and would insist that I was part of what made her get through it all. I would always 'aw shucks' it, downplaying my impact, insisting it wasn't me, it came through me, my usual.
In the wedding ceremony, the Officiant asked the congregation if they would like to get up individually and give a blessing to the happy couple. What a unique idea, to really make each family and friend there feel a part of the service, not just bystanders, how cool. As I am taking notes, anticipating what people would say, I notice my friend, the mother of the bride, is the first to stand and go give them a blessing. And what does she say?
"May you be blessed with the knowledge of how much you are loved."
I begin crying. I am crying now. Why? This is what I say at the end of some of my particularly powerful yoga sessions. It has become a blessing between us. She has expressed many a time how important that blessing is to her, how it helped her through, how it was just the right thing at the right time. When we do yoga or reiki alone together, it is what we say. And here she was, saying it to her daughter on her wedding day. Wow.
That is certainly much bigger than me. I can only hope that I can do the same for Matt & Jaime's big day. But I am sure that energy will come through just when it is needed. It's coming from a place much larger than myself...and I am blessed with the knowledge of how much we are all loved.
