[00:00.00]UNIT1
[00:13.13]In Another World
[00:15.43]Here I am, in China,
[00:17.83]half way around the world
[00:19.58]from home. As I look
[00:21.45]at my clock and
[00:22.54]calculate the time back home
[00:23.74]I realize that half
[00:25.27]a world away, people are busy
[00:27.36]getting ready for a wedding.
[00:29.54]The bride is my niece,
[00:31.84]a person I first met
[00:33.59]when she was three days old.
[00:36.00]I think back to
[00:37.64]the first time I had
[00:38.73]the opportunity to become acquainted
[00:40.15]with my niece. As my sister
[00:42.56]cradled her in her arms,
[00:44.21]the infant girl clasped
[00:45.84]her mother's outstretched finger.
[00:48.03]My intuition told me that
[00:50.44]her temperament would be
[00:51.75]a sunny disposition, a joy
[00:53.28]to people around her.
[00:55.14]As she grew, the cute
[00:57.44]little girl had an infectious
[00:59.08]laugh that started as
[01:00.72]a small grin, then became
[01:02.25]a giggle and grew louder
[01:04.22]and louder until it triggered
[01:06.08]a response from all the people
[01:08.05]around her and they joined in.
[01:09.81]As an adolescent, she studied
[01:12.10]hard and enjoyed welldeserved
[01:13.96]success in secondary school
[01:15.72]as she interacted
[01:16.81]with her peer group.
[01:17.90]After receiving her high
[01:20.08]school diploma, she chose
[01:21.50]nursing as her career.
[01:23.37]From the beginning of
[01:25.23]the young couples romance
[01:26.54]it was evident that
[01:27.64]they were compatible and were
[01:28.95]completely intrigued with each other.
[01:30.70]The couple had an
[01:32.89]engagement party when I
[01:34.20]was at home in Canada
[01:35.29]a few months ago.
[01:36.50]The party was in the form
[01:38.03]of a picnic in a beautiful
[01:39.56]rose garden. To celebrate
[01:41.21]and to toast their future,
[01:43.17]we drank champagne. As they
[01:45.14]posed under an arch
[01:47.11]covered with climbing roses,we snapped
[01:48.97]pictures for their photo album.
[01:50.94]The couple decided on
[01:52.69]a fall wedding. Plans for
[01:54.88]the wedding day were activated immediately.
[01:57.07]The decisions about the forthcoming event
[01:59.03]were shared by the whole family.
[02:01.34]A close friend of the family
[02:03.74]was contacted and invited
[02:05.27]to sing a solo just
[02:06.59]prior to the ceremony.
[02:08.45]The day before the ceremony,
[02:10.52]a rehearsal would take place
[02:12.71]so that the remainder of
[02:14.14]the details could be
[02:15.45]looked after and attended to.
[02:17.30]The planning that takes place
[02:19.49]beforehand for one of these events
[02:21.24]and all the work
[02:22.34]that the big day entails,
[02:23.76]with many people collaborating
[02:25.62]to make the event run smoothly,
[02:27.70]are immense. The conscientious attention
[02:30.87]to detail will be evident
[02:32.29]to the spectators of this event.
[02:33.83]I can imagine the excitement
[02:36.12]and emotions of the family today.
[02:38.42]The time is near.
[02:40.06]The ceremony will begin
[02:41.37]in 3 short hours.
[02:43.45]The bride will be radiant
[02:44.98]as she comes down the aisle
[02:46.29]escorted by her father.
[02:48.05]She will wear her
[02:49.69]grandmother's pearls as an accessory.
[02:51.44]Her veil will be
[02:53.41]the same one as
[02:54.50]her cousin wore last year.
[02:56.14]As is customary, under her garments
[02:58.33]she will wear a blue garter.
[03:00.19]As part of the tradition
[03:01.94]of Canadian weddings, she will
[03:03.36]be wearing something old (the pearls),
[03:05.88]something new (her gown),
[03:07.96]something borrowed (the veil)
[03:10.59]and something blue (the garter).
[03:12.44]As the first chords of
[03:14.74]the wedding march are played
[03:16.50](a melody familiar to all),
[03:18.35]the congregation will rise.
[03:20.87]Gasps will be heard
[03:22.73]as they catch a glimpse
[03:24.26]of the bride in
[03:25.36]her gorgeous wedding gown.
[03:26.67]The mother of the bride
[03:27.98]will calmly view this whole event,
[03:29.84]though tears will blur her vision.
[03:31.26]She will be overcome
[03:33.24]with sentiment at her
[03:34.43]daughter's apparent happiness.
[03:36.41]The picture will be one
[03:38.05]that will embody hope
[03:39.25]for the future of humanity.
