Finish One Project, Start Another, Followed by a Second & Third, Knowing It's Time to Start Thinking about Project Four and Five for the Fall

 

It's me, I'm.....I'm the problem, it's me.

That probably is the first, and the last, reference to Taylor Swift on my blogs, but I admit I'm singing more often than not these days. It's not that Kwame Alexander influenced me to always be a "yes" believer, it's that the two of us have figured it out...and it words. Of course, he's sitting much prettier than I do these days, but I have the same vision for readers and writers across the United States.

I met with the Westport Library people yesterday to begin dreaming StoryFest '24 and I love all they have in place, and am now curious how to help, assist, and bring in more writers, teachers, and students. I have a plan. I love the visionaries at Westport Library, and I see us continuing an ongoing celebration of authors in southern Connecticut, especially in relations to K-12 education. We shall see what comes of it, but I am excited.

I did a lot of trim work around the yard last night, not wanting to process the world until I'm ready to. I also delivered items to school around southern Connecticut, got a haircut, graded, and ate leftovers. It's amazing how much gets done when one doesn't have to be in person to teach or on campus to attend meetings. It's bliss, actually.

Ah, but it's Friday and I'm sure we're all thanking God for the weekend. I'm hoping for a slow, uneventful occasion as it's been an insane semester...as of today, Fairfield University are off-contract for the summer months. I still continue with National Writing Project work, but it means the faculty emails slow down 99%. I look forward to the serenity.

They Kept It Really Subdued. A Quiet Night on Mt. Pleasant with Michelle and Jessy (Which is Definitely NOT Normal)

I know when the ladies want to get together it usually means chaos, laughter, much wine, and absolute need to go crazy. We've done this at my house many times, and I simply learn to be patient as the booze does it things and wears off. I cook. They salsa. And we talk....a lot.

I love ever second of it.

Last night, I got the house ready for a back patio barbecue, but they came in subdued attire and mood. A couple glasses of wine, no dancing (except Michelle's Alvin Alley routine)(and wig...and wig), and a great meal. When they left by 9 pm I was like, "Bonus. I can't watch t.v. and fall asleep without having to stay up until 3 a.m."

Perhaps we're all getting old. 

Of course, we were trying to keep Karal from jumping on Michelle, too, because she goes insane when Michelle comes over. 

Chicken, rice, grilled vegetables (incredible mushrooms), and brownies for dessert...the kind of evening that can't be had when the semester is in full toll. Ah, but summer is here and we have opportunity to meet up, laugh, and look ahead.

Not a bad Wednesday at all. And $35 for 3 people to eat is much better than $130 if we went out. Besides, I love cooking.

And with that...back to the grind.

I Wondered How Karal Would React After Mt. Pleasant Calmed Down This Afternoon. Somehow, She Found a Way to Find Bliss and Serenity for Herself

It's always a risk to bring a suitcase in front of Karal. She goes into depression mode and anxiety panic. Who is leaving? Why? How long will I be left? Does nobody love me? This is what happened when Ger wheeled his luggage to the first floor. She loves the company, the walks, the extra set of legs to get in front of and trip. After I dropped him off, however, she collapsed in the sunlight, content as an angel.

Speaking of, Ger is such a celestial thinker - there are no words for how much he triggers me to be a better man. 

Yesterday, I recorded my first class (asynchronous teaching can be fun) and brought dinner to friends. I cleaned up some more, said goodbye to the genius, and edited a manuscript. I now need to think about the last phases of yard work, 2024, and figuring out where I want to expand a significant butterfly garden. I have over 18 Milkweed plans that have popped out of the planters, ready to be relocated. Debating if I want them by the blueberries or to create a barrier to the house behind me or not (as I hope to compete with their poison ivy). Such a war. 

I am thinking about finding my own sense of comfort like Karal. I wouldn't mind a day of lying around reading the piles of books that have most recently been delivered (in anticipation to the July/August work ahead). 

Summer months are better months, because I get to conduct the want with my own hands...figure out the orchestration and rhythm I want, without all the noise of others and their agendas. I get to make music, and I'm thankful to Ger for pointing that out as he introduced me to Jacob Collier and led me down a rabbit hole of musical genius.

We need the same for teachers...and that is where I hope to focus the rest of my career.

It's Always Good Having Company on Mt. Pleasant, Especially When It is a Classy Friend Who Keeps Your Intellect Alive & Always Questioning Next Steps

It's been fun sharing writing, reading, speaking space over an extended weekend with this powerhouse of a human being, but it's time for Ger to depart and start his journey back to South Sudan. We put in miles around town, had the best conversations, and ate incredibly well. We were fortunate to have many options (many of them requiring the kindness of others). Living in the moment, and making the best of each day is what it's all about.

But back to reality for the two of us this morning...still so thankful that he came by for the conference and to touch brains before he returns home for more work. Funny how quickly we've become brothers and family. I've been channeling his perspectives since my high school teaching days when I wondered about the coincidences in our lives...now, such coincidences bring more meaning than I ever imagined.

Now to prep for the 1st graduate class of the summer, which I need to get my head around that sooner, rather than later. I don't think the day is supposed to be a wash like yesterday, but I know the rain was fantastic for all the seedlings popping up across my yard.. 

Karal will hate the return to an empty house (Ger was her preferred cuddle space and she left my shoulders alone for a few days). She likes a lively house. The back porch grill is up and running for the season, and that's what matters most....hospitality and guests.

And of course, Connecticut Writing Project hats for South Sudan leadership.

We May or May Not Have Re-enacted Our Younger Carefree Days Last Night Around a Fire Talking About Global Citizenry Ahead

I told Ger in the morning, hopefully by 5 someone will invite us for a barbecue. We hiked Lordship by the water, I mowed the lawn, we did laundry, etc. but no invitations arrived. I started cooking what I had and before we knew it we had our own Memorial Day BBQ: Trini-chicken, potatoes, salad, beans, rice. He went for a walk and when he returned he had beers. King came over and I built a fire...the rest is history.

To be honest, I didn't build any fires last year. Chitunga's departure sort of put a wedge in that tradition as it was the two of us that sat around a fire chatting until the late night. Bourbon helped. When he moved to Iowa, I simply collected piles of items to burn, but never set them on fire (there's some Butch in me after all). 

Last night, however, we kept a fire going almost to 1 a.m. and around the fire we talked: global politics, history, next steps, our intentions, educating youth, culture, lived experiences, joy. It was one of the more memorable nights where you realize the company is perfect, the gathering intentional, and the friendship 100% sincere. And the temperatures were absolutely perfect to be outside, to think of memories of what and how such an evening came to be, and simply relax. 

That was probably the best part of the day...we simply chilled out, laughed, talked, and shared thoughts. It will definitely be one of those moments to be cherished forever...

He named his son Haow, the Universe, and that is all you need to know about Ger. What coincidences he brings. 

I Left Most of the Day to the Wedding Photographer for Taking Pictures; Instead, I Simply Absorbed Every Moment for What It Was

A special congratulations to the Wooley, Sealey, & Johnsons on successfully seeing the marriage of Justin and Juliet as a tremendous success. That castle in Portland, Connecticut, overlooking the river was beautiful, and the weather could not have been better. I was honored to host my first service and I'd be willing to do it again. Reverend Cran-diggity at your service,        

     It is an absolute honor to join other pastors from Universal Life Church such as Stephen Colbert, Conan O’Brien, and Lady Gaga to officiate today’s ceremony. I have been contemplating the request to officiate the wedding of Justin & Juliette since last fall when they invited me to get ordained and I continue to wonder, “What were they thinking?” Ah, but I’m a man who loves coincidences and what the Great Whatever delivers…and we just never know how our paths will roll out.

For those that don’t know me, my name is Dr. Bryan Ripley Crandall and I work at Fairfield University where Juliet and Justin met. In fact, I had Justin in a philosophy course and quickly admired the way he looked out for others…so much so I hired him to work with my summer programs where his father also teaches. With his territory also came Juliet, as they began dating almost immediately in their first year on campus. 

Although I’ve seen Justin dressed in graduation robes and Teletubby attire, it was not me who witnessed him dressing as an astronaut during a campus dance their freshman year. That was all Juliet, and before Justin’s many facial hair transitions. You see, to her it was a Westhill t-shirt. She went to Norwalk. There’s the star-crossed lovers thing, too, and of course she’s Juliet. Stony limits cannot hold love out. It seemed appropriate to reference the Bard.

I must admit, however, the hardest part of being asked to officiate this wedding was figuring out what to wear. I wanted to ask Justin’s mom, Jen, if I might borrow her pink power suit – the one she wore to Isaiah’s and Val’s senior award ceremony last year, but pink’s never been my color and I will never have the fashion sense of Jen. In any court of law, Toni and Kristin might know something about that, the verdict is very clear. I will never have Jen’s fashion sense.

         Friends, family, and all the plus-ones, I welcome you to this beautiful celebration, a commencement of two individuals into one partnered life. For those of you who get emotional on such occasions, I also welcome tissue packets. You see, I’m a bit of a leaker, myself….meaning it’s easy for me to tear up over meaningful occasions such as this….a trait I also share with Justin’s father, Dave, and one I recently learned I also share with Justin. Der Marvel-Film war sehr, sehr Traurig, mein Freund. Just imagine Juliet in Germany having to help her fiancé work through time heists and infinity stones, while Germans walked by saying, “Schauen Sie sich den Mann-Jungen an, der wegen einer Superhelden-Aktion weint.” That’s Deutsch for Germans laughing and pointing a man boy whimpering over the end of his superhero Marvel series. Be thankful, Justin, that you were born without Thanos’s chin – I’d hate to witness the facial hair you’d put on such a face. But do know, superheroes are with you wherever you go, and will always run in our blood, as the great Captain D is with you, and always by your side.  

         So, we are here, together, to join worlds…although they aren’t as mythical and intergalactic as Asgard, the Quantum Realm, or Wakanda, they are just as magical. In fact, I’d argue our world is beautiful. Today, we have the joy of bringing the Wooley, Sealey, Johnsons together with the Bosangues. This is for Juliet and Justin. This is for Justin & Juliet. Their Human Togetherness. The Ubuntu, the Bantu word for community and strength. Around my neck is a scarf, partly because I wanted to show my fashion sense to Justin’s mom, (it isn’t a pink suit, cuz it’s hard to accessorize as a male), but I found a liturgical stole that represents the importance of circles joining together to establish a pattern between the individuals we adore, admire, love, and appreciate – the couple before us all today. This ceremony is part of a tradition, not only to officiate the fusion of both Justin and Juliet’s worlds, but to bring forward the legality of intertwining lives. It’s a circle like the letter “O” and if you add such an O to God, you have good, and that is what today is all about. The good that will comes from seeing Juliet and Justin hand to hand, eye to eye, family to family, and embracing their lives together.

         There’s also tremendous good in this ceremony, this congregation, and there was even good during Justin’s romantic proposal at Fairfield University where he plotted and planned the entire moment, but forgot to factor one item….what happens if it is pouring rain and Juliet resists getting out of the car because, well, she’s thinking Justin’s gone crazy. Why would he want to walk around campus during a downpour? It’s all good. It’s remains good. And lucky for us and him, Julet said, “yes.”

         Kristin, Michael, Dave, Kris, Jen, Mark, Serena, Richard, Toni, Michael, Linda, & Cooper, she did say yes and, as a result, the families grow bigger and stronger together. Both families encircle one another. Christina, Chris, Zoe, Steve, Esha, Matt, Connor, Claudia, Elise, & Arman, this includes friendship, too, as circles surrounding the marriage today of Justin & Juliet, also envelope you. They’re in this together, and so are we.

         Juliet and Justin remarked they didn’t want anything in particular to be recited, so I did as Crandall does and worked through my books to find words for the consecration.

 

From Plato: Love is born into every human being: it calls back the halves of our original nature together; it tries to make one out of two and heal the wound of human nature.

 

From Corinthians, Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 

 

From Zohar, A husband and wife are one soul, separated only through their descent of this world. When they are married, they have reunited again.

 

From the Q’uran, And we’ve created you in pairs.

 

From bell hooks, Love is an action…never simply a feeling.

 

Finally, from the Mandalorian, this one is for Ish, This is the way.

 

And here we are today, together, to put the love of Juliet & Justin into action before our collective…this community…this human togetherness gathered as witnesses to today’s ceremony. The love of Justin and Juliet a gift given to us all, a celebration of magical miracles, and miraculous magic works within and throughout our lives (if we choose to pay attention)

 

Justin and Juliet asked if it would be alright to share their vows with one another and I thought, “Why not? I’m all about celebrating the voices of others. Juliet, as I imagine might be true for days ahead, asked to go first.

 

Juliet says her vows

 

Thank you, Juliet. Justin, you’re up next. Please share the vows you wish to be expressed (hand him a tissue)

 

Justin says his vows

 

Justin & Juliet, before I go on I have my own questions: Do you, Justin, promise to meander philosophically throughout your life, to help your partnership with Juliet to grow deeper, more intimate, whackier, and stronger, as you pontificate more ideas, quandaries, and ideological snafus? I do. Okay, good then. And do you, Juliet, promise to hold Justin accountable to his taxes, the finances of the home, and to keep his philosophical brain grounded on earth, numerically, and (perhaps), help others in the congregation with their own W-9 forms?

 

Glad to hear that.

 

Thank you for that.

 

Juliet and Justin, seriously now….please join hands.

 

Do you, Juliet, take Justin to be your lawfully wedded husband? 

I do.

 

Do you, Justin, take Juliet to be your lawfully wedded wife?

I do.

 

It brings me tremendous joy to ask Mr. Ishmael Wooley, youngest brother of Justin, to bear forth the two rings to Arman who will hold them for the couple. Afterwards, you may paint a Basquiat painting of the two of them if you like. 

 

A ring represents the circle of life, its cycles, and the wholeness of our communities, very much like the Ubuntu philosophy, and the gathering of both families today. By exchanging the rings, a couple brings forward the promise to join their communities, uniting not only themselves, but their friends and their families, in a symbol of faithfulness and unending commitment. It is time to exchange the rings.

 

Exchange rings

 

Upon your fingers are the promise of love and the dedication, hope, and strength of all the days still to come. These rings are the interlocking of a greater story and all the narratives yet to be written. Such is the power of love. Such is how so many tales are written underneath the sky above.

 

By the power invested in me at the request of the couple to officiate today’s ceremony and through the eyes of the State of Connecticut (and Stag Country), I now pronounce you, Justin & Juliet, man and wife. Woman and husband. You are a married couple. 

 

So the time has come, you two….You may kiss one another in celebration of the day and the fact that you both have chosen one another to unite as one..

 

Friends. Family. Parents. Siblings…it is a wonderful honor to present THE WOOLEYS.

Leaving this Here as a Place Holder, As These Last Few Days Have Been Beyond Description (Incredible), But I'm Still Going At It.

And today he officiates his first wedding. I am totally honored and have been working for months to make it all possible. Last night, after a youth conferences with 100s of kids, I attended the rehearsal dinner where I was gifted a t-shirt that summarizes it all.

Ah, but today, I need to arrange the dog, pick up girlfriends of the groom's family who don't have rides, and conduct the ceremony. Oh, and the paving company that as to come next week came early, so I don' have my driveway. Can't make any of this crazy up. My car is parked a street over. 

For now, however, I need to get one more day of accomplishment under my belt, and I hope I'll be able to process this past week with posts over the next few weeks. It has been too incredible for words. 

but for now I need to hit the road, hit the services, hit the ritual, and hit the ceremony as best as I can. 

Justin and Juliet are getting married.