A recent conversation with my daughter:
ELIZABETH: Dad, you know you're offering a toast at the wedding reception. Have you thought about what you will say?
SELF: Indeed I have, Elizabeth. First I'll start with a joke, both witty and urbane, to put the audience at ease, and then I'll give a quotation — either from the classics or Scripture, I haven't decided. From there I'll go on to my experiences as a parent, its joys and trials, with some reflections on the contemporary assault on family values and the threats to marriage as an institution in America today. Then I'll talk about you, your growth as a person, placed in the context of the post-war emancipation of American womanhood. Then I'll segue to the emergence of your love from Brian, and his for you, with reference to Bergson's concept of emergent evolution. I intend to finish with a vivid evocation of the bright vision of God as portrayed in the last book of the Paradiso, and how all things, including marital bliss, find their true meaning in the context of that "eternal fountain," the "love that moves the sun and the other stars."
ELIZABETH: You've only got two minutes.
SELF: I'll cut it down a bit.
... with whatever you've got left over after your edit, you could probably make a name for yourself in the professional toasting circuit. Hey, if I ever get married, we'll fly you in strictly for toast-making purposes ;)
ReplyDeleteYour blog, like your intended toast, is both witty and urbane. I need to add you to my bookmarks.
ReplyDeleteJohn Salmon
Thank God for fathers like yours. My dad could never think of speeches the way your dad does. So, why not give him ten minutes? I think he's a really nice guy.
ReplyDeleteAlben W. Barkley once said, 'the best audience is intelligent, well-educated, and ... a little drunk.' Tony
ReplyDeleteThere are simply an amazing bunch of dads out there who will wow you either way: tease you with their profoundity, and/or humbly concede if you want to say the punchline anyway.
ReplyDeleteLucky lucky you! More wedding toasts here.