Tin
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01:00:45 am on July 15, 2007 | # |
One sure sign you’re getting older: when you start attending weddings of people you know… and your older brother is one of the groomsmen.
Speeches are usually reserved for the best man, but I just thought I’d share a word or two myself.
Growing up, I was just the kid brother who wanted to tag along with the big boys. Needless to say, I wasn’t always wanted. The older guys eventually grew to accept me, and a lot of that I owe to just time, but some of it I owe to Hy. A heck of a lot of nice things were said about both the bride and groom last night, by several people. The nicest thing I can possibly say about Hy is that he’s the ultimate glue guy.
Inevitably, in your life, you’ll become friends with a person who has this unnatural ability to bring disparate groups of people together. Simply put, that person is the glue guy. They keep everyone together. When the glue guy goes out of town, people stop hanging out. They break into their own little groups. They do their own thing. The return of the glue guy typically necessitates some kind of event, some kind of gathering, even if it’s among just a few. The glue guy can do that kind of thing.
There are a few things I give credit to Hy:
- He gave me my nickname, which is generally used by anyone I know over the age of 26. Conveniently, the nickname suited by juvenile juxtaposition and worked well with my first name.
- He encouraged my enjoyment of sports. Being as young as I was, I was never quite good enough to play with the older guys. As I grew older and grew a little taller, I had more opportunities. Hy doesn’t get all of the credit, but he was one of the many that taught me a lot of the cerebral parts of the game. Hy is generally recognized as a great athlete and a smart player, regardless of the sport he plays. He always has a good combination of instinct, skill, and headiness that allows him to compete with people stronger, taller and faster than him. Some of us are lucky to play alongside him.
- By example, he taught me that you can do what you want in life if you work hard enough. He was the one that told me to stick with one major in college and just finish it. He reasoned that you could always continue your schooling and get another degree if your first one doesn’t suit you. In fact, he did just that. Not entirely happy with the first degree he got in college, Hy went back to school so he could take the prerequisite classes necessary to get into dental school. Unsure of how he’d pay for it all, he made a commitment to serve our country and joined the Navy, in return for a higher education.
I could go on, but words don’t quite express how happy I am for this guy. Despite my speech deficiencies, it warranted a break from my blogging hiatus. I leave you with some lighthearted content.
Good idea #1: They decided to have the ceremony and reception in the same place. The Empire Room is probably crazy expensive, but it was nice getting to stay in one place for the whole thing.
Good idea #2: Hy wore his white Navy suit for the ceremony. The dude looked sharp. Plus, it worked well with the general decor of the ceremony. Excellent choice.
Good idea #3: I was told Hy chose the music for the ceremony, and for the recessional, he chose Stolen. That’s right, kids, he chose a Dashboard Confessional song for his recessional. It made me laugh seeing that in the wedding program, but I can appreciate a guy who can mix the old with the new. It ended up working very well.
Congrats, Hy and Mai-an. Here’s to a long and happy marriage. *raises glass*