Global Flash Mob Wedding

Every once in awhile things come together for a beautiful moment in time.  People from around the world came together to make this moment happen at our son's wedding, recently. I am at a loss for words. I wept so much all my makeup was washed away!

My heart has been aching and I have been operating in panic mode since Thanksgiving. It started with hubby's mom going in for surgery for a malfunctioning aortic valve. She did not recover as expected from the surgery and quickly went downhill. I was with her the night before surgery, staying over at a motel in Portland since the surgery was set for so early the following morning. That evening was possibly the last time Bart's mom was "fully" cognizant of her surroundings and what was happening.

Shortly after mom-in-law's episode my mother was rushed to the hospital in Ewa Beach. She was there for two months after first being diagnosed with pneumonia, which then became MRSA coupled with her COPD and her chemo wracked body, all of this brought on by a bout of VOG, volcanic smog blown over from the big island. Miraculously, she pulled through, but not before my father also went into the hospital for two weeks due to panic over my mother's condition bringing on his own bout with pneumonia and leading to a sever episode of vascular/emotional dementia. Bart's mother died in January, never able to go home since leaving it just before Thanksgiving. Both of my parents recovered, but my father still has not fully regained his cognitive abilities and often wakes up thinking he needs to get dressed and go to work. My mother's lungs remain severely weakened leaving her unable to travel, especially not able to board a plane to fly home.

During all of this emotional upheaval we received word from the reverse mortgage loan corporation that we do not get a year to sell the home but, since my father was ill and no longer able to live in the home but not dead, they could call the loan in whenever they pleased and they pleased immediately. We consulted with lawyers and found out that while they were barely within their legal rights, barely is all it took. We now had four months to either buy or sell the property. We put it for sale immediately but it is a long shot that it will sell before the Bank of America's auction date of April 28th.  Personally, my husband and I have sunk just under $200,000 into this land that has been in my family since the 1860's. Packing has been almost impossible for me to do, my heart just refuses to believe we have lost this land and my mind cannot wrap around going through close to 100 years of accumulated things in such a short amount of time.

Then, we received news that our son is to be deployed. For me, this has been the hardest to mentally and emotionally accept. He joined the national guard to help, locally, in natural disasters. To defend, should we be attacked. This gentle soul that literally cannot kill a bug without cringing ...  I worry what will be coming home. I worry if he will come home. I worry.

We were long overdue for some good news. Finally, son announces he and fiance are going to marry!  Since I cannot say too much more without it being deemed gossip, let us just say the family is very, very happy with this decision and the knowledge our grandson is in a safe and secure family unit.

So, a wedding to plan within a month! Son's fiance had BIG plans. We cringed as we don't "do" big weddings. Four daughters and our budgets have always been under $5,000.  She is from Ethiopia, where the wedding garments generally start at that price. We had to meet her father, who has decided viewpoints. How to merge our families together? Ack, ack, ack, more worries. Wedding day comes and up to the point that music started for the walk down the aisle, decorations were going up. Her dress burst open in the back and was literally pinned together with safety pins and bows.

And ... it was such a beautiful wedding we wept.

Bahai weddings are really quite different. We marry one another, no one "marries" us. No one asks who gives away the bride, no one pronounces us wed. But, how to convey that to people from another religion on top of another culture. The bride's father didn't think it could be done and had prepared what he wanted read at the wedding. It was politely accepted for consideration but was not used. With trepidation I talked with him later that wedding day. He was overjoyed with the ceremony and said nothing he had prepared could have added anything to it. I was greatly relieved.

I knew we really couldn't meet the bride's expectation for decorations, but I had two things in our wedding chest. Our family puts out a mean meal at the drop of a hat. Give us a week and it is going to be a humdinger, give us two weeks and we can wow anyone. Our family chef, Bart's brother Kelvin, and party planning big sis (who has been battling cancer herself) put out a such a spread that people were speechless when they found out it wasn't catered. Prime rib, salmon and lamb, salads, rice pilaf, veggies, with friends also bringing Ethiopian dishes and Indian dishes.  It was fabulous.

And then, and then, and then ... this video. We will have the split screen done a little better, my mom threw this together as a little token of her love. She wasn't allowed to fly home for the ceremony (another heartbreaking moment).  We planned a surprise flash mob for the reception. We not only planned it but pulled it OFF!!!  We see on You Tube where the wedding party surprises guests with a flash mob, but have not seen the guests surprise the bride and groom with one. To top it off, we asked family and friends who couldn't make it to the ceremony to video themselves dancing to "Happy" as well as a congratulations on the wedding video.  Videos came in from around the world! From Japan to Addis Ababa, from Alaska to Oklahoma, Washington, Minnesota, Oregon and many points in between. The response of people stepping outside of their comfort zone was unbelievable. I weep as I write this, out of gratitude. You guys are just the best. And with this dance, two families and so many cultures, came together.

It was FABULOUS, and everyone was crying, again! In our family, if we can bring you to laughter or tears, its a WIN!  

If you want to watch all the congratulations first, watch the whole video, if you want to skip to just the dance fast forward to 11:04. 

I write this today as I procrastinate more packing. I watch the video today to remember the happy as I weep with the sadness of saying goodbye to the land where my people have walked for seven generations, where my grandchildren will no longer play alongside the memories of their grands, great grands, great great grands and even great great great grands.  With sadness I pack up the old, with hope in my heart I look forward (if not with radiant acquiescence at least with determination) to the new.

The script for the Wedding of Martha Kemma & Matthew Morrell

Tod says: On behalf of Martha and Matthew, welcome and thank you for coming to celebrate their wedding.

All religions revere marriage, each in their own, unique way.  The unifying thought in all holy scriptures, regarding marriage, is that the union of the husband and wife is regarded as an eternal spiritual bond, created as a gift from the Creator.

In Christianity an often used quote for marriage is from the Bible, Mark Chapter 10:
But at the beginning of creation God made them male and female.

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one.

 Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.

Helen says: A prayer from the Eastern Orthodox Church ~ O Merciful God, we beseech Thee ever to remind us that the married state is holy, and that we must keep it so; Grant us Thy grace, that we may continue in faithfulness and love; Increase in us the spirit of mutual understanding and trust, that no quarrel or strife may come between us; Grant us Thy blessings, that we may stand before our fellows and in Thy sight as an ideal family; And finally, by Thy mercy, account us worthy of everlasting life: For Thou art our sanctification, and to Thee we ascribe glory, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Tod says: In the Baha’i Faith scripture tells us that the true marriage of Baha’is is this, that husband and wife should be united both physically and spiritually, that they may ever improve the spiritual life of each other, and may enjoy everlasting unity throughout all the worlds of God.

O ye two believers in God! The Lord, peerless is He, hath made woman and man to abide with each other in the closest companionship, and to be even as a single soul. They are two helpmates, two intimate friends, who should be concerned about the welfare of each other.
If they live thus, they will pass through this world with perfect contentment, bliss, and peace of heart, and become the object of divine grace and favour in the Kingdom of heaven.

Strive, then, to abide, heart and soul, with each other as two doves in the nest, for this is to be blessed in both worlds.

Katrina says: A prayer from the Baha’i Faith: He is God! O peerless Lord!  In Thine almighty wisdom Thou hast enjoined marriage upon the peoples, that the generations of men may succeed one another in this contingent world, and that ever, so long as the world shall last, they may busy themselves at the Threshold of Thy oneness with servitude and worship, with salutation, adoration and praise.  “I have not created spirits and men, but that they should worship me.”  Wherefore, wed Thou in the heaven of Thy mercy these two birds of the nest of Thy love, and make them the means of attracting perpetual grace; that from the union of these two seas of love a wave of tenderness may surge and cast the pearls of pure and goodly issue on the shore of life.  “He hath let loose the two seas, that they meet each other:  Between them is a barrier which they overpass not.  Which then of the bounties of your Lord will ye deny?  From each He bringeth up greater and lesser pearls.” O Thou kind Lord!  Make Thou this marriage to bring forth coral and pearls.  Thou art verily the All-Powerful, the Most Great, the Ever-Forgiving. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Tod says: It is the strength of the commitment of the two individuals that will determine the strength and bond of the marriage. Matthew and Martha, with the blessings and approval of their parents, have chosen to marry one another. They choose to say the vows that will unite them through eternity.  

Matthew takes Martha’s hand and says: “We will all, verily, abide by the Will of God” and places the ring on Martha’s finger.

Martha takes Matt’s hand and says: “We will all, verily, abide by the Will of God,” and places the ring on Matthew’s finger.
 

Matthew then removes the veil from Martha’s face and kisses her.

Tod says: And with this simple, but profound, vow, Matthew and Martha have become partners in a new creation, the divine institution which is their marriage.  May I present to their family and friends, Mr & Mrs. Matthew & Martha Kemma Morrell.

They turn to the guests, holding hands, and smile. Music starts up and they walk back down the aisle followed by Kahlil and Olivia, then Helen and Katrina and then Martha’s father, then Matthew’s parents. 

As Matt and Martha get to the end of the wedding aisle carpet Tod makes announcements

Tod says: Please leave row by row to go through the receiving line. Pictures of the wedding party will then take place while the room is prepared for the reception. Feel free to relax and wait here. The reception will begin in approximately one half hour.

The wedding and reception was held at the log cabin at Camp Rilea. It was simple, beautiful, and we are so very grateful to all who participated in so many different ways, from near and afar. Love to you, one and all.

Missing Haifa

We have some friends who will be leaving to go on their Baha'i Pilgrimage at the end of February. At the end of February it will be one year since Bart and I were on our Pilgrimage and how I yearn to be there, now.

I loved the snow here. I love my family here and adore my grandchildren. We enjoy our Baha'i community. Bart likes his work and I like school. Our hearts ache with hunger for the middle east.

When we hear the call to prayer resonating from a television program tears sting my eyelids and I see the cobblestones of Akka's streets. People scurry this way and that as people seem to boil out of buildings into streets already teeming with masses of humanity. Side streets so very tiny you hardly can believe it is a street until you see a tiny Citroen barrelling down it with a motorcycle passing it on the side! Pedestrian right of way? Never heard of it!

The very best pressed honey nut brittle was outside of the Al Jazzaar Mosque. We spent a whole day walking those blessed streets of Akka, cobblestone by cobblestone, the one time prison city by the sea. Bart bought a bedoin headress there and looks quite tribal Arabic when he is in full beard. The sun beat down so hot that day that children were jumping from the ramparts into the sea for money from the tourists. I laughed and Bart gave them handfuls of change they may or may not have been worth dollars, I cannot remember now. The children obviously thought the I should have squealed and told them to stop because the jump did look spectacular (I'll dig out the photos) but I knew they wouldn't be doing it if they hadn't a hundred (or thousand) times before. Bart peaked over the side and commented that it was still quite a feat!

It the evenings, before listening to a member of the Universal House of Justice speak to the pilgrims, we would walk to a falafel shop and have the most scruptious falafels with fresh pita bread made before your eyes and the best tsatziki sauce and hummus. Fresh avacados with every meal and as much grapefruit and oranges as you could eat.

Of course, the main attractions for Baha'is, are the Shrines. I am someone who has not had an easy road with my "religion," yet my faith has remained pure and confident. I may not understand myself but there is within me a core that is so strong and sure that I am left in marvel at this feature. I know it through meditation. What some would call prayer, some introspection. I know faith. I know assurance. I know there is a Divine Being and I have never felt It more strongly than a few times while on Pilgrimage. Someday, if we should meet face to face and the moment is right I may be able to convey to you my experience. It is too private for a blog, or at least for me here and now.

The center of Haifa is called "Hadar" and it is where most of the commercial parts are located. They don't really cater to the tourist trade, here, but we found great places to eat and a market to bring food back to the hotel. We always thought we would have another day to do our shopping and ended up getting people postcards and things from the airport at 4:30 am on the morningn we left, we just ran out of time. Baha'is who do not work at the World Centre (or visiting family working there) can only stay in Israel for 2 additional days. Basically because it is for the best, worldwide, with the strain the way it is between religious denominations and Baha'is are forbidden to use their religion as a point of contention. Please, be careful of how that is said. Not the principle's of the religion, etc.. Another blog entry, maybe.

When we travelled about Haifa (and weren't on the tour bus) we often took a sheroot or a taxi. A sheroot is a taxi van that doesn't go where you want it to but rather has specific destinations with very few stops in between. Sometimes it seemed that they were independently run. But we went all the way to Akka from Haifa for about $5.50 so it was a HUGE bargain. A travel site has this to say about the underground transportation (which we took numerous times):

Moving between the top and bottom ... you can also go from the city to the Carmel [top] in only 8 minutes by taking the Carmelite. I'm talking about is a funicular subway, which is probably one of the few of its kind in the world. This fun and interesting way to get from one point to another was opened in 1959, and while it was closed for several years due to disrepair and lack of funds to fix it, it's now open again for your convenience and enjoyment. The Carmelite has six stations - the lowest one being "the city" and the top most being the Carmel. Since this is a subway, it goes totally underground. And because it climbs a hill, it's very step-like in its build, traveling at an average of an 8o angle. The tunnel is 2000 meters long, and climbs a total of 268 meters from the city to the Carmel and travels an average of only 28 kilometers per hour. Before the renovation, there were drivers on these but now they're totally automatic and computerized. Throughout the tunnel there is only one set of tracks except for a spot in the middle where there are two sets. It's at this point that the two trains (one going up and the other going down, of course) pass each other on their journey. If you're ever in Haifa, I recommend you go on the Carmelite just for the experience, even if you don't need to get from one spot to another via this type of transport.

The friends we met! Oh, I am half afraid to even try to name any in case they ever found this remote little site and thought I had forgotten them! I haven't, on most days I remember everyone's! We met up with 225(ish) people from about 100 countries/states. Only two others from Oregon that we had known from before this trip. That large group was broken down into smaller groups of 25 for morning or afternoon tours and then, when you weren't on a tour you arranged your time yourself with friends you met. When we weren't at Baha'u'llah's Shrine at Baji we were combing Mount Carmel with our new found friends Karin (from Cape Town, South Africa), Parissa (from Perth, Australia), dearest Bonnie and Serge (with the lovely hair from Quebec), Jack from Hawaii, our friends from Slovania (names just flew out of my head), as well as from the family from Spain! Ack, there was the young couple that scared us all so much when they put their passports in their knapsacks and their knapsacks in the luggage compartment under the bus which angered the 15 year old with the machine gun who stopped the bus and wanted to see ID!

Even that, machine gunned youngsters guarding the bus stops I forgot until just this moment, doesn't make me want to stay away. I crave the pictures coming to my mind's eye of that world. I can dredge up, at a moment's notice the vivid colors of the market place, from the burkha's the older women wore and the dresses of the younger ones to the cloths covering the stands and the flags flying overhead, to the gems worn intertwined in the silvers or goldwork of fine jewelry, ornate heargear or tableware. My ears ache to hear the cacaphony that comes from so many different languages being spoken in a sing-song voice, almost becoming a symphony of well tuned intruments deliberately playing out a secret concerto for the tourist with the discerning ear to hear.

We hope we have the opportunity to one day return.