ArcaMax

The Reception Speech

I was ready to give this man a standing ovation. I was poised at the edge of my chair for the last 30 percent of his speech. I was ready to lead the audience in a series of rousing cheers.

Now, let me tell you the rest of the story.

We drove to Columbus, Ohio, this last weekend to attend a wedding. So many things have changed about weddings in the last few years. Some of the changes have been in the ceremony arena but that really depends on which denomination you are observing and how traditional the family wants to be. The things I am talking about come when the reception arrives.

Speaking of arrivals...ever since one certain wedding reception that went viral, the entrance of the wedding party has changed dramatically. It used to be the bridal party just filtered in and went to sit at their places at the head table. Now they have to make a spectacle of the process. They choose theme music and then go through a whole series of gyrations as they enter the room. At this reception, the couples danced their way up to the bridal party table; each displaying their own unique theme. One couple donned 3D glasses and struck movie poses as they got to the front. I can’t even begin to describe the others. They all played a role that took on a whole new drama. It was fun to watch.

Then came the presentations. I am accustomed to the best man giving a short speech before dinner starts. And maybe the maid of honor gives a little speech. But now, you might witness each person in the bridal party taking stage and regaling something or other about the bride and groom; or even themselves.

In this party the best man, we found out, could make money doing stand-up comedy. He doesn’t do that for a living, but his presentation was hilarious. Everyone was laughing, including me and my husband. Funny thing was we had never met him. We were not his friends. We had never even met the bride and groom. The stories were about the bride and groom and about their days in college, and although we had never met them, we laughed hysterically.

But that’s not even the reason I am writing about this wedding.

The reason I am writing this missive is the presentation the bride’s father made.

When he was finished I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house. The bride was crying. The groom had his arm around her. I watched as this man talked, as each of the bridesmaids picked up their dinner napkin and dabbed at their makeup to catch the tears that streamed down their cheeks. I looked over at the mother of the bride. She was choking back the tears of joy, at watching her man give one of the most important presentations he had ever made. And will ever make.

He talked about just three things. I’ll summarize a 12 minute talk in very short order.

He talked about how important the little things in life are. The little gifts you receive and keep, the little things you say to each other over the years, the little things you do to make each other happy. He even did some show-and-tell . He brought along a little box that she had made and sent to him. It contained just a short note and some candy hearts. He’s never eaten the candy hearts and never will. That box stays in his office except for the short time it was in his pocket before he made his speech. The box always makes him smile. It’s just a little thing but it carries great importance.

The second thing he focused on was how life is short. He’s retired recently and now has a lot of time to reflect on his life. Here he was, standing next to his baby, choking back his own tears and talking about how fast she grew up and what a beautiful person she had become.

Lastly he talked about the difference between love and joy. We all know we love our loved ones but do they bring us joy? Or when they do, do we take note? His message sort of referenced back to the traditional elements that show the love, and the creative and less noted things that bring us to a height we can’t measure. Those are the things that bring us joy. We have to really look to see the joy, but we all know it when we experience it.

Everyone learned something that evening. And I learned even more.

A post script...

I learned that the father-of-the bride still declares my husband to be his best friend. He said so as part of his speech. Although they don’t get together very often and certainly don’t talk enough, the bond is still there. The bond they’ve shared since their own college days. Some things just never fade; the love of a father for his daughter and the friendship that endures between the father-of-the-bride and my husband. Before I met him, my husband, (by the way) was the best man at his wedding to the mother-of-the-bride. And now we come full circle to understand why I was witness to this special wedding.

Another post script...

I never got to start that standing ovation. As those things go, they slid so seamlessly from the speech given by the father to a champagne toast that I never got a chance to jump out of my chair before they were onto the next thing. This is the closest thing I can do to giving him the standing ovation he so well deserved. You did it Tom! And you did it very, very well.

Chicken Enchilada Chopped Salad (EASY)

Serves 4 to 6

Mexican food is usually chock-full of carbs. Everything is wrapped in a tortilla or paired with a pile of taco chips. And of course they then serve the dishes with a side of rice and another side of beans. It’s crazy. This dish will give you all the satisfaction of a Mexican enchilada without the carbs.

The concept of a “chopped salad” is just that. Chopped. Everything chopped, and chopped small enough so you don’t have to cut anything to eat it. This salad follows that concept and offers up a tasty meal.

For the Enchilada chicken:
4 chicken breasts poached and shredded*
1 onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced (jar garlic will work)
1 4 ounce can of chopped green chilies (these are mild)
1 10 oz can of enchilada sauce (the trick here is to find a brand that has no sugar in it. If your grocery store doesn’t have one with NO sugar at least get one that has sugar at the END of the ingredient list. That way there will only be a trace of it in the chicken. Then ask your grocer to stock one with no sugar. Most of the Mexican brands that are authentic have no sugar) You decide if you want mild, medium or hot sauce. The medium makes a plenty zippy meal for me.
Jalapeno pepper slices (optional)

For the salad:
2 heads of romaine lettuce
1 large tomato chopped
2 stalks of celery chopped

To make the enchilada chicken:

In a large sauté pan spray lightly with olive oil spray and then add the onion. Cook until the onion wilts and begins to soften. Add the garlic, the chicken, chilies and enchilada sauce. Stir. Cook on medium until the flavors are blended and the chicken is hot.

For the salad:

Chop the romaine into bite-sized pieces. I do this with a knife. Add the chopped tomato and chopped celery. Mix in a large bowl.

To serve, place the amount of salad you’d like to eat on a plate. Top it with your portion of chicken enchilada. Garnish with slices of jalapeno if you want the extra zip. One cup will make a nice-sized meal. Depending on how large your chicken breasts are the whole amount may feed as many as six.

To make it a true chopped salad you’ll mix the chicken around with the salad before you eat it. I took the picture of this before I stirred it in so you could see how the chicken looks when it’s completed.

*To poach chicken just put the skinless breasts in a sauté pan and cover with water. Bring water to a low boil and cook for 15 minutes or until there is no pink left in the middle of the breast. When they are cooked you can then take two forks and shred the meat into bite-sized pieces.

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola