Learning from Love

In all the frenzy of wedding preparations, it's easy to lose perspective. ("If the candle votives aren't perfect, nothing's perfect!" You know, that kind of thing.) But I've just been thinking about this man a lot lately, while cutting out fabric, painting decorations, and checking off lists. And I'm so grateful for him. At the end of this frenzy of wedding prep (and through it) is one of the most wonderful people I have ever known, and am likely to ever know. His heart is the kindest, most caring heart I've ever found. He finds joy in others' laughter, and mourns with the broken-hearted. He's constantly seeking for truth and beauty and knowledge, and shares it when he finds it. I learn so much from his example, whether in little things that make life more convenient, or in big things that make life more beautiful. Here's just a taste of how Jacob has helped to change me for the better.

Things I’ve Learned from Jacob Chapman (so far):

1. There is always time to say hello to a friend or acquaintance.
2. Hamlet is even more awesome than I had previously thought.
3. Pearl Jam is one of the greatest bands of the last 30 years.
4. When in doubt, talk. You have nothing to lose by being honest, by communicating.
5. Every life is valuable, whether it be the life of a friend or the life of a spider, the life of someone that drives you crazy or the life of the smallest ant.
6. If you turn the heat on in the car, but keep the vents closed, you don’t have to have cold air blasted on you while you’re waiting for the heat to get going.
7. It can be difficult to do the right thing, to resist temptation, and to keep the covenants that you’ve made. But it’s do-able. Some may say that men, especially, are fighting a losing battle, surrounded by temptation in the media. But it is possible to remain virtuous and to honor the covenants that you’ve made, no matter who you are.
8. Some of the coolest people alive today include: Jack White (of the White Stripes), Eddie Vedder (of Pearl Jam), Anthony Fantano, and Garrison Keillor.
9. Poetry is often better when read aloud.
10. Beauty can be found everywhere…in the dance-like movement of bees, in the fluttering of prayer flags, in the curve of an ankle, in the petals of a dandelion blossom.

I'm so excited to spend the rest of my life learning from this man's example. I hope I can one day be half as patient, kind, and honest as this man is.