Signs of the Times - wedding joy /Libertarians searching for soulmates - 7/25/09

Sat Jul 25 12:05:15 EDT 2009

SIGNS ON THE TIMES:
- GOING TO THE CHAPEL
- RON PAUL SINGLES: DOCTOR OF LOVE

############################

- GOING TO THE CHAPEL

Here's a wonderful piece in today's Washington Post of the Minnesota wedding
procession that is making such a splash.  This journalist nails it - why
this raucous entrance got us all farklempt/choked up and why it just might
help us put meaning back in the whole process.    - diane

> There's nothing so intimate as a slow stroll. After everyone's bouncing, that
> short walk together was terribly moving.

Going to the Chapel & We're Gonna Get Jiggy
By Sarah Kaufman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, July 25, 2009

With their squeezed-tight knees and vigorously swinging backsides, the
ushers do Usher one better.

Wearing pink dresses and dark glasses, the bridesmaids swivel and high-step
down the aisle with deadpan gyrations, like voguers from the House of
Honeymoon. The groom turns a somersault and coolly spins off to the altar,
adjusting his tie.

And when the bride makes her entrance, white satin churning as she shifts
into hip-slinging overdrive, pumping her bouquet in the air to the beat of
Chris Brown's "Forever," she gets the standing ovation she deserves.

>From the cheering guests in this rocking St. Paul, Minn., church on June 20,
it wasn't just a show of respect. It was a shout-out of R-E-S-P-E-C-T, in a
profound way.

In the latest dispatch from the Internet badlands, another meta-moment: Jill
Peterson and Kevin Heinz's dancing wedding procession -- yes, they and their
attendants (seven bridesmaids, five groomsmen, four ushers) all boogied down
the aisle, fabulously -- which after less than five days on YouTube snagged
1.75 million hits, the latest ordinary-folks-with-talent stunner to hit the
Web.  . . . 

. . . And that's exactly what's behind the enormous response to their video.
It's all about the joy.

We all know what we're supposed to do at weddings: Look on politely as a
matchy-matchy parade of friends makes its slooooow way down the aisle to
Pachelbel's Canon in D. Try not to giggle. Rise for the bride.

But, by dancing their entrances and sending that upbeat, physical energy
right back out to their guests, the Peterson-Heinz wedding turns the rote
behaviors into spontaneous reactions. Of course the guests watch attentively
as the wedding party bobs in. You can bet not a single child had to be
shushed at that point. This was no longer a display of bad posture and
dyed-to-match pumps -- it was an uplifting swell of celebration with a beat.
The bride -- unescorted, we note; so independent! -- was and wasn't the
center of attention. The true focus was on the unified, wordless but
palpable emotions of her whole support system.

It plugs us in to something deeply human. Dancing is how so many cultures
have celebrated weddings for eons. Okay, maybe not exactly like this, with
the ushers turning their programs into confetti, with one groomsman
thrusting a stray flower between his teeth and flinging himself into a
handstand, with two of the bridesmaids clasping hands and doing a little
riff on swing dancing.

Jill and Kevin claimed to have only had one rehearsal and said the whole
group contributed to the choreography. They did an amazing job of it. It
builds in force right up until the crowning moment: the pas de deux, where
Kevin takes his bride's arm and they glide in step toward the beaming
minister, capturing what Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse knew in their sweet
"Dancing in the Dark" number from the film "The Bandwagon." There's nothing
so intimate as a slow stroll. After everyone's bouncing, that short walk
together was terribly moving.

This procession explodes a lot of assumptions: that church weddings are
square and Minnesotans are squarer, that shaking booties and solemn vows
don't go together. (It also puts a new luster on Brown's song, which must be
appreciated by the pop star turned pariah, who pleaded guilty last month to
assaulting his girlfriend in February.)

More important, this ceremony went deeper than behaviors. It elicited all
the right feelings, in the way that good dancing transfers energy and
emotion to its audience. In the way they moved -- and were able to corral
their friends and family into the act -- the couple told us a lot about
themselves, and about their bond.

This didn't look like a reluctant groom being dragged to the altar, nor a
micromanaging bridezilla who had locked down every detail. They were open to
music and movement and untucked shirts and sweat, and they gave to their
guests what had to be the best party favor of all. An actual party. . . .

To read the full article and link to the video of the processional:
http://tinyurl.com/m7le32

Again, send anything you have to post here:
http://www.smartmarriages.com/intentionalmarriage.html

####################################
- RON PAUL SINGLES: DOCTOR OF LOVE

Just goes to show you that everyone is looking for love......

Washington Post Ron Paul Interview About This Site
Jul 15, 2009

For anyone who doubted it, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), the libertarian phenom
of the 2008 presidential campaign, is a lover, not a fighter.

And he's spreading love far and wide across the Internet, albeit
unwittingly.

Paul is the inspiration behind a new online dating site called Ron Paul
Singles. "We put the LOVE in Revolution," the Web site proclaims.

It works just like any other online dating service. Plug in "man seeking
woman," "woman seeking man," "woman seeking woman," "man seeking man" or
even "couple seeking (fill in the blank)" and you're instantly shown the
potential opportunities out there in the land of Ron Paul Love.

We asked Rep. Paul a few questions about the site via e-email, including
whether he ever imagined that he'd spur an entire online dating community
built around... well, himself.

"Well, I never thought I'd speak to crowds of 5,000 college kids chanting
'End the Fed' and burning Federal Reserve notes, so I guess nothing
surprises me that much anymore," Paul wrote back.

The neophyte yenta said he didn't know who was responsible for creating the
Web site but "I suppose it's all about Freedom bringing people together --
spiritually, politically, and now, romantically." And he encouraged any of
his single friends who "want to meet a great lover of liberty" to sign up
for the Ron Paul Singles dating services and give him some feedback on their
experiences.

Roll Call newspaper reported on the Ron Paul love site in its print edition
today, dubbing the congressman, who is an obstetrician and gynecologist,
"Doctor of Love."

Paul's office declined to speak to Roll Call about the dating site, but he
told the Sleuth he kind of likes the new nickname. "It's got a nice ring to
it -- I'll bet my wife will like it better than 'Dr. No.' And, I've always
been sympathetic to the slogan 'make love, not war.'"

**************************
Copyright Smart Marriages®

This is a moderated list. Submissions and comments are read by Diane Sollee.
Please indicate if your comment is NOT to be shared with the list.  PLEASE
include your email address and/or url as part of your signature.

With thousands of subscribers, not all comments can be shared. Also realize
that opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by members of the
Coalition.

To SUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE, or Change your subscription address,
visit: http://www.smartmarriages.com/app/Newsletter.Subscribe

To read past posts to the listserv, visit the Archive at:
http://lists101.his.com/pipermail/smartmarriages/

List your program and resources on the Directory of Classes at
http://www.smartmarriages.com/directory_browse.html

Order Smart Marriages conference audio & video CD/DVD/MP3s: 800-241-7785 or
http://www.iPlaybackSmartMarriages.com

Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couples Education, LLC (CMFCE)
Diane Sollee, Director
5310 Belt Rd NW, Washington, DC 20015-1961
http://www.smartmarriages.com
202-362-3332