When I first heard my friend Brian was engaged I told him I would be available to help out with the wedding in any way he and his fiance might need, up to and including standing in for the best man (should any harm befall Sam prior to the wedding). Fortunately, Sam arrived for the wedding in one piece and my services in that capacity were not required. I was prepared, however, to make the best man toast if called upon, and rather than have it go to waste, it shall christen my new blog. (My goal is to post twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays.)
My Backup Best Man Toast
Kindred Spirits are not always easily recognizable. Sometimes similarities get in the way of a friendship. Such was the case for Brian and me when we first met. He walked into Sunday School class in the fall of 1997, tall, talkative, and smart. We learned the depth of the latter two characteristics as the semester went on. Each week my eyes got narrower and my jaw clenched more tightly each time he spoke. (Which was often. We didn't call him Rogaine Motormouth for nothing).
"Excuse me," I snipped in my head, "I am the resident genius around here. Silence, please, while I do my thing." He did not respond to my silent chastisements (or my slightly less eloquent verbal ones) and continued to give me a run for my money at everything from recalling Bible trivia to memorizing verses.
Perhaps I felt I had something to prove being the only girl in our small class of five or perhaps it was because I have a competitive spirit. Either way, I was not okay with being beaten, even occasionally.
This continued on for the next year and a half, my enmity growing each week, until I couldn't even look at him without annoyance surging through me. Then one day, he made a comment. (Don't ask me what it was; I can't remember now, but I assure you it was the gravest insult a 5th grader can make in the midst of a Sunday School lesson.) I had to act. Determined, I grabbed a Bible. The Bible is useful for rebuking, and I intended to use it for that purpose. I stood up. I walked around the table. I stood behind Brian.
THWACK!
I brought the Bible down on top of his head.
I can't recall the details of the events after that; however, I can deduce they weren't too dramatic as I am still unremorseful about hitting him, and my parents didn't hear about it until I told them years later. I would like to say that this was a turning point in our relationship, but that did not come for a few more years. But it did eventually come, and I am extremely glad that it did. Our similarities have become the basis for a great friendship.
I've had the privilege to watch the relationship between him and Elyssa unfold and blossom into what I know will be a strong and happy marriage. And fortunately for Elyssa, I have learned how to recognize kindred spirits without having to whack them with a Bible.
