I suspect there will be a lot of blogposts about The Royal Wedding today and I surprised myself by taking the time out to watch it. What surprised me more was how much I enjoyed the The Lord Bishop Of London‘s speech on what marriage is. He talked about how marriage is about how two people help and support each to each become the best person they each can be, or from his Christian perspective, the best that God intended them to be. That in giving this to each other, there was no room for selfishness.

A stunning description of what we should all be seeking as individuals, but as a married couple, giving each other the love and support to enable and underpin this, was an articulate message….one that I was desperate to text to my ex-husband! This made me wonder what sort of emotional reactions people may be having to watching this very beautiful event.

For me, it brought with it a sense of tradition within my own family. I watched Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s wedding when I was around the same age as my daughter and it might be that she watches their children’s wedding with her daughter, which gave me a few goosebumps. I also thought how much we’ve moved on now that we have a Royal wedding that has a foundation in love for one another as opposed to lineage and money. I thought about Diana and how she might feel as a mother watching her son, now a man, going through what she had experienced.

And I felt sad. Sad that my own rather humble (in comparison), but no less beautiful wedding had resulted in a divorce…such a beautiful day filled with hope and promise and commitment but in the end, lost through a lack of understanding as to what The Lord Bishop Of London is describing.

It is understood that Christmas, weddings and funerals bring up all sorts of emotions that we need to deal with…even when they are not ours events, or our family events (like Diana’s funeral for example). So don’t be surprised if today triggers any emotional reactions today. Just remember, you’re not alone….