Congratulations, William and Kate!

Much has been said about how much has been said about the royal wedding today. Almost as much as been said about why or why not anyone should care about it. Ultimately, today's wedding in England is about what any wedding is about: the hope and promise of love.

When my own husband asked what I could possibly find interesting about the whole thing, I told him this: it is a wedding. To me, it is like our own wedding all over again. Every wedding we've attended has been this for me, as I believe it is for many people who are married wedding guests. We see our own young selves in the couple. We see the youth, the hope and the love and remember that time in our own lives, when we looked out upon life and our future with only happiness and hope. Ours was the view of life through the proverbial rose-colored glasses. When we see this in other couples as they marry, the bittersweet memories of our actual lived reality fill our hearts with renewed hope and love, for we hold hands in our seats and think, "Well, we're still here! And yet another couple is doing this, so love goes on!"

The speech of the Bishop of London summed it all up. He spoke of this hope of which I write, and that of which I've professed as my desire to watch this event today. He talked about every wedding being a royal wedding, which I, too, believe. While Chris and I stood in a field, he in shorts, a short-sleeve shirt and low-cut Vans, me barefoot in jean cut-offs (old and blue!) and a white tank top but with pearls (borrowed!) and a white floral headpiece (new!), we might have appeared outwardly a bit different from the affair seen today, yet we felt as if the world stopped for us, as all of England has stopped for the royal family today. As the Bishop of London said, this wedding gives hope to the world, to all peoples. It fills us with the joy of love, the promise of commitment, the promise of a future where all the horror of the world stops for a time so that love may reign. We might even ask ourselves, if but for a moment, is it possible for this to BE the future? Not only that, but the Bishop spoke of the power of love and marriage to transform. This is the hope of the world we find in this day. Might not only two people, but also all of us transform toward peace and love?

I remember my own wedding eighteen years ago this year. I remember standing with Chris and the vows exchanged. As he spoke his vows to me, the gravity of it all was overwhelming. Here was this man, committing himself to me. He promised that he will love me, cherish me and honor me until death. He promised that to this he would abide whether life held for us poor times or rich ones, wellness or illness and whether life was better or worse.

Before the bride arrived to the church, I was crying. Claudia asked why. I explained all I've written above, about the hope, the love and the commitment and how it all reminded me of my own marriage and wedding. Being just sixteen, she was still incredulous. Chris watched with us as he got ready to leave for work. Then, he, too, shed tears as Kate Middleton arrived with her father at the church. On his way to work, we talked after the actual marriage ceremony. Claudia sat beside me as I told Chris I cried more during the exchange of vows. Claudia interjected, "sobbed," which is what I did. I, again, explained to her that it was because of the promise of marriage, what the vows actually say.

To her, I said, "Those who are married cry at weddings because they think of their own history and lives together. It is the promise of loving one another, through the trials and tribulations of life."

To Chris, on the phone, I said, "Well, this has definitely been a poorer time."

He dissented: "No," he said, "We've definitely gotten richer."

Through my tears and in my heart, I smiled. His reference was not to our financial statement, of course, but rather our emotional and spiritual condition, our love. And, he's right. We are so much richer in love than ever before. This, being the only kind of "rich" that is really and truly important, is why I've been so excited for this wedding today. It is so that I, along with a great portion of the world, might have a lighter heart filled with the promise of love, even if just for today.

On a final note, I want to mention that today is the birthday of my late Grandmother Hudson nee Morey. Having family in England, I am sure she would have been thrilled that the day of her birth is shared by the royal family as a wedding day. So, happy birthday, Granny Darling (as she was known by my children) and Congratulations, William and Kate! Thank you both for sharing this event, which is so personal, with all of us across the world so that we might all share in the love and hope that you represent.