Occasionally, something happens at a wedding that is unplanned and sweetly awkward.
It might be the flower girl who proceeds all the way up the aisle with her basket of petals intact — then dumps it all in one go at the front. Yes!
Or the ring bearer, very young and very tired, who is carried up the aisle by his daddy and needs to keep the little pillow for his own tousled head. Sweet!
A few years ago, I wrote a little poem about this phenomenon — this humanizing through error — this creation of memories through mistakes. And I called it:
In Praise of Awkward
I wish I weren’t so perfect,
So right in every way,
‘Cause if I weren’t so perfect,
I’d be a lot more brave.
When I was one, I made mistakes,
Fewer when I was two.
Now I’m grown up and never err,
Which makes me scared, like you. . .
. . .’cause when you never make mistakes,
You’re perfect, yes, that’s true.
But oh how long you have to take,
Just checking things you do.
You check to get the words just right,
The music must be fine
And when your checking’s all complete,
You check just one more time.
So with this checking care you take,
There’s no time to be bold,
No time to state uncertain thoughts,
You’re checking ‘til you’re old.
I wish I weren’t so perfect,
So right in every way,
‘Cause if I weren’t so perfect,
I’d be a lot more brave.
Blessings to you, and for all of us, sweetly memorable weddings!