Not our wedding, of course. He was fine for that one. But last weekend he was Best Man for his longtime friend, Mindy. He looked great in his tuxedo, made sure Mindy had everything she needed, kept everyone sane and relaxed... but inside he was a mess. He had to make a speech at the reception.
The fact is, my husband is extremely shy in certain situations. It took me awhile to understand that some people are actually built this way. And so... my husband has earned the nickname "Turtle". When he gets into social situations, he hides his head into his shell until all the people go away.
He was nervous about the speech days before he needed to give it, and early on Friday morning I found him nervously searching the internet at 5AM. In the end, I wrote his speech, told him he would be great, and was just as nervous as he was when it came time for him to give it. He said that looking at everyone during the wedding wasn't so bad, but somehow during the reception, they all freakishly multiplied by 10. With his hand shaking uncontrollably, this is the speech he gave. I'm so proud of him... he got through it and didn't pass out.
Here's the speech:
I should start off by saying – I’m not very good at this. I’ve always been the shy one and Mindy has always been the outgoing one ever since we met. But I guess that’s what makes us such good compatible friends. But our common ground has always been history. We are both history fanatics and are constantly looking at the past for all of its quirky little bits that no one else knows.
This is why we are forbidden to be on the same team when we play Trivial Pursuit. It’s amazing we haven’t been banned from the game altogether.
But today is not about the past. It’s about a day in all of its future significance. Out of all of the days that are notable…. the signing of the Declaration of Independence, when the Ravens won the Super Bowl, the day the Grateful Dead first played together, this is the day that will stand out for Bob and Mindy’s family.
Someday, their great-grandchildren will come across an old picture of Grandpa Bob and Grandma Mindy. They will think back the good old days, when things were simple. Housing was affordable. Flying cars weren’t invented yet. Robots didn’t rule the world.
This is the day when Grandpa and Grandma brought all of their friends and family together to celebrate their new marriage.
This is the day when they exchanged rings and promised to be each other’s best friends for the rest of their lives.
This is a day that will be remembered for all the right reasons, because it was a day of a new beginning. The family tree was altered, and it extended to include more people, more possibilities, and definitely, more love.
Congratulations, Mindy and Bob!
