3 Things to Have on Your Honeymoon

My brother and Best Man Mark

I think my favorite moment of the entire wedding reception last Saturday was my brother Mark's, my best man, toast to me.  He numbered three things that he admired about me that he wish he had more of:

1. Faithfulness to God
2. Sense of Community
3. Ability to Live in the Moment

It was so touching because he had never said anything like that to me in recent memory.  Also, if there were three things to sum up the way I'm cursed on the way I live my life, it would be those three things. It was beautiful to see someone else acknowledge it.

And after reflecting on his words after three days on Mimi's and my honeymoon, I realize that those three things hang true even while we're here in Colorado.

1. Faithfulness to God

St. Mary's Daily Mass Chapel

When we got here on Sunday we found this great church and priest to go to 6 p.m. Mass.  We met the priest afterwards and he was overjoyed to hear we were on our honeymoon.  After having a rest day on Monday, Mimi and I decided that we'd like to catch daily Mass in Breckenridge, and on Tuesday we were happy to see the same priest at the 8 a.m. Mass here in town.  Not only that, but that church uses the same Breaking Bread music book that we use at St. Andrew's in Silver Spring, that I use at Holy Infant in Durham and what Mimi used at St. Joan of Arc in Hershey.  It truly was a home away from home.

I'm so blessed to marry a holy woman like Mimi who has a daily and nightly routine of prayer, which I'm not always consistent with.  Plus, she prays a daily Divine Mercy Chaplet every day which I join in, and it was nice to cap our evening with it.

Praying each day together has really given us perspective, as in love as we are with each other in these moments, it's nice to remember that God has been in our lives much longer, loves us much more, and has given us each other.

2. Sense of Community
One of my favorite things to do is getting to meet new people.  Going to Mass three times now with the same
priest (Sunday, Tuesday, and now this morning), he really brightens up when he sees us.  Yesterday at Mass, he made an announcement about our new marriage and the rest of the parishioners applauded for us.  This morning, one woman prayed during intentions for all newlywed couples, "especially the one in our midst."  Father told us later at Mass that he too prayed for us.  Having coffee with some of the parishioners this morning was great as they gave us great tips on where to hike and see.

Yesterday, we met a young woman named MJ who was the Director of Religious Education of the area.  She recognized my Esto Vir hoodie and asked if we were from CUA.  It was a small world as we then mentioned groups and people that we both know.

Last night we were walking around town and found this great little shop that sold cute items that ranged from things about animals, Christian artifacts, and quotes on wooden blocks.  We had a great conversation with the owner and his daughter that eventually lead to me talking about Catholic Fried Rice, which they seemed definitely interested in checking out.

Congratulations from the Front Desk
(We love this place!)

Everyone we talk to seems to be happy we're here, especially when we tell them we're on our honeymoon.  Our first waiter the night we got here gave us desert on the house upon hearing the news.  When we got here, Mimi had a longer conversation with the front desk lady, and the next day the front desk sent up a bouquet of red carnations and a bottle of champagne to congratulate us.  We definitely feel a sense of community here for our short time here.




3. Ability to Live in the Moment
I told Mimi a yesterday that she's my favorite wife to go on a honeymoon with.  She said, "I better be the only wife you go on a honeymoon with!"

Since going on Mission Belize for two weeks, then later eventually serving in Costa Rica for a year, where in both places all they do is live in the moment, I feel I have been cursed with this way of living.  And I'm so lucky to share such moments with a wife who likes to do the same.

"What'd you do on your honeymoon? Go to the beach?"
"No, we toured a gold mine though."

After a day of rest on Monday, she suggested that we should walk to the store (a little more than a mile away), and though I was hesitant, it was great to stroll through town and see the beauty of the Breckenridge mountains that surround us.  Yesterday we went on a Gold Mine tour and it was awesome to be thousands of feet underground in the narrow miner passageways.  Today we're about to go on a hike and I can't wait to see the views, again, living it all in the moment.





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This honeymoon has been amazing so far, and I definitely attribute it to those three things: faith in God, sense of community, and living in the moment.  We feel so blessed to be here with nowhere else to be but with each other and the surrounding views and people.  Thank you God for this gift.

Amén.