to my brother, on the occasion of his wedding

I spent this weekend serving the role of best man at my brother’s wedding. He’s my only sibling, and with any luck, this will be his one and only marriage. His wife is a great woman, and I’m incredibly happy for them both. I’d like to share the toast that I gave at the reception with everyone here. Congratulations, Chris and Tracey!

I was honored when my brother asked me to be his best man. As kids, we spent most of our time pretending to be professional wrestlers, much to our parents’ consternation, jumping off of couches and putting each other in headlocks. As we grew, though, we developed separate interests, and lived separate lives, and grew in separate ways.

That is why is has been such a pleasure for me these past few years to get to know my brother again and to see and appreciate the man that he has become. He’s come a long way from the kid that I used to torment my calling him Crispy Cornflakes.

It has been an equal pleasure getting to know Tracey. She is smart and charming and compliments Chris in every way. I predict many wonderful things for both of them in their new life together.

Before we get to the toast, there are a few people to thank. First, I’d like to thank Tracey’s parents, Lamar and Debbie, my parents, Malcolm and Nancy, and Chris and Tracey themselves for all of their work in bringing us together on this wonderful day.

Second, I’d like to thank all of you for coming out to witness this joyous event. By being here, you are publicly declaring our support for these two in their life together.

Life isn’t always easy, and marriage isn’t always easy, and some of us have had better luck at it than others. That is why it is so important for all of us to continue to bear witness to their marriage, and to offer our love and support on both their darkest nights and their brightest days. I know that with all of us standing behind them, they will have a very happy life together.

So, from all of us, to the two of you, may you have health, happiness, prosperity, and longevity.