It is not often that I find the meaning of life, and of marriage, in two minutes. But the video of a groom surprising his bride says it all. And I don't even speak Italian. 

 

If you had interrupted the ceremony to interview the couple, I feel confident that their answer to the question "Are you happy?" would render a resounding "YES!" Or rather, "Si!"

 

I also believe that that emotion increased exponentially in less time than it took to button her dress. The groom had arranged for his bride's patients with Down Syndrome to carry the rings up the aisle. Seven children with flowers in their hair and suspenders on their shoulders, two in a small jeep, entered the sanctuary to surprise the woman who helps them communicate better. Their speech therapist. 

 

A moment before she was considering the words the priest was speaking, and  adjusting her veil, and maybe reviewing the menu for the reception, or worrying whether she would trip coming down the steps. In the tangle of such details true contentment can be elusive. 

 

But in an instant all of that vanished as her heart leaped to her face with enough love to impact two hundred guests. Make that the twelve million viewers like myself. Nothing of lace or entrees or mascara mattered, when she saw the children she has spent months with, children who have their share of bumps and yet smile because they can. 

 

The groom was transformed as well. In that moment he brought joy to the woman he adores, and there is not a deeper reservoir of bliss yet discovered. He has seen what her gift actually is, and he honors it. Then they are together lost in the magic of seven children, seven gorgeous and smartly dressed children who have a Purpose. To Bring the Rings. 

 

We start out life falling for the distraction of fussing over how we present to society, which can be a time consuming one. Then when we least expect it God swivels the story to caring about someone else, and we realize what the embossed invitation really means.