Two weeks ago I hosted a small family wedding at St Mary’s. It was essentially two families getting together to celebrate the marriage of one son and one daughter. They had the wedding in Church, hors d’ouvres in the rectory and a reception in the parish hall. There were speeches, singing and dancing. All had a wonderful time.

But this was not their original plan. The original plan was to have the wedding in the bride’s hometown with a much bigger crowd. What happened was plan B. Arrangements that had been made were canceled. New plans made and then changed. And so it went a few times until what could happen happened. All had a wonderful time.

What I noticed throughout the party was that the children involved (and my brother Paul) enjoyed themselves as if Covid wasn’t happening at the same time. The adults stopped ourselves a few times and breathed a sigh that there was this small island of happiness that felt like “normal” times. I saw it as a special gift to us, but especially the children.

That made me think that though times have changed and rules abound to govern our lives, we adults need to have events that bring joy, and play and a little “normal” into our lives. I am working on a couple of ideas, but if you have others, I would love to hear them. Release the Holy Spirit and be creative!