A Prayer by Shane McCarthy

Please stand.......

and DO NOT bow your heads,

but LOOK AROUND...

LOOK AROUND...at your neighbors, ....and in their smiles,
be bathed in the joy of this day;

LOOK AROUND...at our bride & groom,.....Bridget & Preston,
whose magical love
began at a Winging Ceremony,
and with our support ..... & with our prayers,
will continue for all eternity;

LOOK AROUND...at Preston's parents, ......Betty & Greg,
and see in them, models of commitment
to life's most precious gifts:
family & religious values;

Yes, LOOK AROUND...at Bridget's mother, .....Brenda,
and rejoice with her
in the distant, but ever-so-precious memory
of her 7 & 1/2 years of marriage
with Bridget's deceased father, Robert;

LOOK AROUND...at the uniforms in this room,
and in the facilities and people of this great Academy,
and be reminded of the
opportunities we embrace,.....
and the freedom we enjoy;

Finally, LOOK within ourselves.....and join with Bridget & Preston
and their families
to thank God....and ask Her blessings
on the food we consume,....
and the love we celebrate...this day.

And to this - LOOKING one another in the eye -
and holding one another's hands around these tables,

We raise our arms in celebration, and say.......................AMEN