THE WEDDING MAN

Last year I attended a close friends’ wedding in the iconic town of Beechworth. I was an usher at the wedding, and enjoyed welcoming people as they arrived at the picturesque outdoor lookout where the ceremony took place. I remember handing a booklet to one guest, and we both gave each other a look that was as if to say ‘I know you’. 

Together we quickly worked out that we had met each other twice that year, at CSEN Rally Days whilst coaching our school teams against each other. As soon as we had worked out how we knew each other, of course the next question was to be: ‘so what brings you to this wedding?’ This man (Peter) told me that he was a cousin of the groom. I thought it was quite funny, since we had chatted at school sports events without knowing that he was the cousin of one of my best mates!

I recently attended another wedding, which was my own cousin's wedding in Geelong. As I was walking to the ceremony with my family, I nearly fell over when I spotted Peter at the wedding. Yes, the same Peter from my friend's wedding! As soon as the ceremony and formalities with family were over, I beelined for Peter and we both had a massive grin on our faces whilst clearly both internally feeling confused. When I asked him what he was doing at this wedding, he answered by stating that the bride and groom are two of his closest friends! I was gobsmacked and couldn’t believe that it was the same story in reverse from a year ago when I found out that he was the cousin of one of my closest friends!

We went on to take a selfie and have a great conversation which filled both our cups. After that, I also told him that he needs to stop wedding stalking me!

This story reminds me of the surprising moments that we are often presented with in life. When surprising moments or quirks arise, we have a choice about how we respond. Often the best thing we can do is embrace the moment and create memories and connections with those around us. God created us to be in community with others, and sometimes he places people in your life at moments you don’t expect. I wonder for you if you have ever had a ‘Peter moment’. How will you respond when it happens? 

May God bless you as we head into the winter months.