Honored to Toast.

A Maid of Honor's Toast to Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Burke on their wedding day.

A time I was indeed honored to share in.

10.12.13

The author Bob Goff writes: Love is never stationary.

I have known Kitty and Daniel for a little more than 6 years now. And in all those years, this I have found to be undeniably true. Because tonight we get to celebrate a couple who selflessly continues to choose to move with and for each other.

In a way, it’s almost like a dance. And if you've read Jane Austen, you know, "To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love."

When you dance with a partner, it is your responsibility to pay attention to them, to support them, communicate with them, and most importantly, enjoy their company. And in marriage, it is my greatest prayer that the two of you will do just these things.

Dancing is one of the truest forms of expression because you use nothing but your own self as the medium. To dance is to be vulnerable enough to put yourself in front of others hoping they will accept you just as you are. When we love, we hope for the same thing. We hope that our partner will choose us, inspite of our imperfections, because of who we are body and soul.

And it’s a choice we must make over and over again, every day. Ann Voskamp writes that Love represents “a pouring out, a breaking open, and a sacrifice.” Just as when we dance, and pour all of ourselves into the creative process of developing and cultivating our art form, when we love, we choose to constantly pour ourselves into one another, to sacrifice, day after day.

When you perform a dance, you have to trust that everyone will do their part and the performance will go off without any flaws. You have to have faith in something greater than yourself. My hope for your marriage is that you continue to let faith in a God that is greater than all of us guide you in times of great joy, but also in those times when you aren’t sure what the counts are, if the music will be too fast, or if you and your partner will move in synchrony. Because Galatians 5:6 reminds us that,”The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”

Goff has also written, "love does things. It writes a letter and gets on a plane. It orders pizza and jumps in a lake. It hugs and prays and cries and sings." When I read these words, you two are the first people who come to mind because with love, you don't hesitate. And I pray that you will keep choosing to move for and with each other, to choose to keep doing things - just because love tells us to.

I love you both, congratulations!

(Special thanks to a little Irish statue who kept the rain away.)