Today is the anniversary of two momentous events in my life.

35 years ago today, the Flyers won their first of back-to-back Stanley Cups. I was 10 years old, and I had become interested in hockey during that season. Pretty good timing, no? ;) On a related note, the Flyers victory inspired me to turn the one and only successful cartwheel I ever managed to achieve in my entire life.

The second momentous occasion occurred on the 25th anniversary of said victory. In 1999, we had my wedding rehearsal and its associated dinner. I still remember with amusement, to this day, that Father C. was astounded to see that the people whom we'd asked to bring up the gifts knew exactly what to do, without prior instruction, when we reached that point of the rehearsal. :) Never in his priestly career had he seen people who, when asked to perform that part of the wedding Mass, had the faintest idea what was required of them. This is what happens when a longtime church musician marries the son of a longtime church cantor. Between my friends and my in-laws, we had music directors from three separate parishes taking part in the wedding ceremony. We also had current and past choir members, cantors, and lectors in the group. So overall, our particular wedding party had a higher-than-average likelihood of familiarity with the Liturgy. It might have been the easiest rehearsal Father C. had been through in a long time. :)

So, I salute May 19, and the good things that have come my way so far on that date.