"For the pillars of the temple stand apart"

Err..umm...yeah. Enough said.
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Went to Bikaner to attend my sister's wedding. Two day trip, out of which, one day was spent coming and going. The wedding itself went of well. A happy occasion for all.

I got blitzed by invitations for weddings and engagement ceremonies in November and December. Never had it so bad but i also havent been in India during wedding season for a long time. Nonetheless, its good to partake in such special occasions even if by the end of it all, you're left with an extra inch or two or three around the waist. While in the US, i've already spent enough time going into lengthy discussions, fueled by coffee or alcohol, on marriages and the social aspects and the carnival like atmosphere ( Monsoon Wedding!) so here I wont go down that road again. Its a conscious decision.

With so many weddings to attend and so much food to eat and beverages to drink, we sometimes loose sense of what the wedding day means to the bride and the groom and what they're "signing" up for. I for one don't go to weddings thinking about the deeper meaning of the day. And i'm sure, i'm not the only one. One of my friends sent this on a mass email this morning and it moved me into giving it wider publicity here (not that anyone reads my blogs anyway!!) Touching yes, profound more.

From Kalil Gibran's The Prophet:
On Marriage
Then Almitra spoke again and said, "And what of Marriage, master?"

And he answered saying:

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.

You shall be together when white wings of death scatter your days.

Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.

But let there be spaces in your togetherness,

And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another but make not a bond of love:

Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.

Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.

Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,

Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.

For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.

And stand together, yet not too near together:

For the pillars of the temple stand apart,

And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.