So…my brother and future sister-in-law decided to do away with the traditional maid of honor/best man toast at their wedding reception and decided on a “lead sibling” toast instead for each of them….
D: M– and I were talking and we were hoping, instead of the best man and maid of honor speech, we want a lead sibling to speak in our honour.
D: I want you to be my lead sibling.
ME: Wow…I’m speechless, D. That is a huge honor and I would love to.
It’s now been about six hours, and I am freaking out. I want so badly to be able to do them proud. I want there to be humor (and I’m not very funny…just to me, apparently…), but I want to convey that emotion without being overly sappy.
So I am going to begin the speech here, and I welcome any feedback any readers have to give. I want to be able to retain my own voice but show the humor in the situations that I am so horrible about.
My brother David is one of the most amazing men I have the privilege of knowing. I am blessed beyond all imagining to have him as my brother.
Growing up, our childhood years were magic. We went from playing Barbies and Legos (we always put the two together, and he was always the “butler” when playing Barbies because it was more manly) and we built houses together. When our younger sister Delaney thought her broom handle was a gun, it lead to a new era of hunting stuffed animals (well…that and Kyam creating guns out of crackers and going “pew, pew, pew”). Then we were pioneers in the wilderness of our quarter acre backyard creating homes out of leaves which we raked up and created outlines for our amazing houses.
The memories that have been shared by all our siblings…well, they are special.
There are memories of taking our family’s dog Chin Chin and pretending she was the grandma, with a blanket and spectacles, telling stories and waving the poor dog’s legs around. Then there was David carrying Ky on his own back to safety in the middle of what they thought was an asthma attack. And many memories of family camping excursions and zoo escapades.
I have watched him grow. Literally. But beyond that… I watched him go from Pokémon nerd to Yu-Gi-Oh nerd to theatre techie and beyond. He had surpassed all expectations but for one thing. My little brother stayed single throughout high school. Then he went to Webster University where he met Myra.
I, personally, was so excited to learn he had a girlfriend. A real, honest to goodness, in the flesh girlfriend. I knew he always wanted one growing up. With me being the realist I am, I figured he and Myra weren’t going to be together for long, because college relationships just didn’t stick. I should have known so much better. David would never talk of a girlfriend unless it was actually serious.
Then we met Myra. Our family has always been the touchy-feely type, and Myra allowed our many hugs and was supremely gracious about our quirky family habits. Point in her favor. Holiday after holiday and special occasion, she has been there. What sealed the deal though, was something mom shared with me. She told me how David and Myra were walking to the library and were swiping each other with their lanyards on their way there. Most of us know it takes a lot to stay so playful after years of being in a relationship. But they have it.
Despite the many life obstacles with school and moving halfway across the country, David and Myra are together today having made their marital vows. I couldn’t be prouder of the both of them. They work constantly. They know each others’ habits. They work together so much, and have an open line of communication. They have a relationship for many to envy, to be inspired by, to be guided by.
With the greatest pride, and with the most hearty blessings, I encourage you to salute them and give them your own blessings in return. They deserve our blessing and encouragement towards their next greatest adventure as man and wife. David, I am so incredibly proud to have you as my brother, and Myra, I welcome and bless you to our family of many. May the love, strength and dedication you have for each other spread to everyone in this room. I love you both.
DrunkEnemy85 