me me me

I was half-watching a weddingplannershow while getting dressed this morning, and then I heard this line:

"It's Carl's day too, so Kimberley wants to make sure that he gets the tux she wants"
[emphasis mine]

Am I the only one that thinks there's something wrong with this sentence? For me, it illustrates my mixed feelings about weddings (not about marriages as much, but about the Big White Day of flowers, champagne, gourmet food, string quartets, pictures, you name it). Couples often seem to lose sight of the objective (spending the rest of their lives together, and celebrating that intention with family and friends) in the chaos and greed that planning a wedding often turns into. Somewhere along the way, finding the perfect rose or dress or church becomes more important than the love two people share. A first step on this path is when the bridegroom isn't consulted much, or at all. I know the logistics of weddings aren't as interesting to guys as they are to girls (generalize much, Saskia?) but if it's truly your day together, it should be planned together. Bridezilla's have lost sight of what prompted this whole day in the first place.

When I get married, if I get married, I want to stand up in front of family and friends and show them I've found happiness in this other person. I don't care much about the dress I'll be wearing, or the flowers I might be holding. I want a big party, yes, but I mostly want all my and our loved ones standing around us, beaming.

Now all I need to do is find the guy that wants the same.

Every so often I go read some conservative christian blogs. I don't do this often because they make me feel almost sick - there seems to be so much hate among conservatives towards those that think differently - and left-leaning christians, like myself, mostly take the brunt. Yet I feel it's good to know what other people think (and there's also an element of "keeping track of the enemy" in my curiosity) so I do a quick sweep every other week or so. I found the following video on Randy Alcorn's blog, Eternal Perspectives.



It shocked me. Not because of the content (thankfully, it's somewhat tastefully made, no blood, gore, or other things designed solely to shock and scare watchers) but because the makers took such a personal story (Barack Obama's life) and used it in such a way. I also found it disturbing because President Obama is pro-choice* and this commercial is pro-life yet appropriates his story.

I agree with the commercial's final slogan: imagine the potential. If I ever find myself pregnant, that is certainly what I will be doing. Were I to get pregnant at this moment, I'm 99% sure I'd keep the baby and raise it in a loving but single mother home. But I reserve the right to make my own decision. What I decide to do is between me and God and no one has the right to interfere with that. I believe this very strongly.

*another thing conservatives often don't "get": I am pro-choice, not pro-abortion. There is quite a difference. Believing in the woman's right to choose what happens to and in her body does not mean I think abortion is the best option every time and should be done easily, without thought, or at all.