Witness to who and what

As a trial lawyer by trade and desire, I’ve spent a huge portion of my adult life engaging, preparing, interviewing and challenging all sorts of witnesses.

I’ve examined (and cross-examined) eyewitnesses, expert witnesses, material witnesses and complaining witness in an effort to distinguish what they actually saw or knew from what they thought they saw or wished they knew.

There have been willing witnesses and hostile witnesses; those whose testimony flowed because it was accurate, and those whose account was facile only because they were well prepared.

Most have been truthful, while some have found it easy to bear being a false witness.

Many a witness has been witless, while, all, too often; the witness stand has held a witness no one could stand (or believe).

Personally, I’ve never been a “witness” who is called upon to give testimony as to a crime or action, though I have on many occasions served as a witness to a will or contract or commercial transaction.

More significantly (and touching) however has been the opportunity to serve as a witness to a wedding. The first of which was almost four decades ago when I witnessed the marriage of my best-friend-since-first-grade. Dr. Mitchy to his sweetheart Dr. Ronnie.

It was an odd experience not only because the bride and I shared a first name (including correct spelling: none of this “Ronny” or “Roni” or “Ronee” tripe for either of us). But because, as a newlywed myself, I hardly understood the significance of being “witness to creation” of a new family unit, a new partnership and a new bonding of two into one.

Only now, after almost two score years of keeping score do I appreciate the privilege of having witnessed not only the inception of a glorious enterprise but its continuing (pooh-pooh) growth and expansion as well.

The marriage contract I witnessed back then was a Declaration of Inter-dependence wherein two extraordinary individuals pledged their allegiance to each other for all eternity.

What emerged from that union was a couple acting as one to forge a productive life serving others through kindness, honesty, skill and decency. It also produced (pooh-pooh again) three wonderful children who have themselves grown into three sensitive, accomplished and talented professionals and who, within the past year, have all found like-minded soul and helpmates to marry.

And as each took their wedding vows, I was again honored to formally witness the event, and as a witness, sign their Hebrew marriage contract.

To do so was to simultaneously experience a feeling that was moving, sobering and exhilarating: To attend the weddings of three children you love as your own is obviously deeply moving.

To suddenly realize that “sunrise, sunset, swiftly fly the years” is not merely a lyric but a reality of life, is sobering, while unbelievably exhilarating (and moving) is to recognize that you’re a link between generations, a part of an ongoing history and that you’re the common outside connection verifying the inside connection first between one couple and then between that couple and three couples and then between that witness testifying to the continuity of faith, tradition, loyalty and love.

Wedding vows and marriage contracts are promises and hopes for the future. What a pleasure it is to watch them made midst beauty, laughter and joy.

What an even greater pleasure and satisfaction it is to see those promises fulfilled completely and lovingly. Indeed that’s the bottom line that everyone, anyone and especially this one, is happy and grateful, to witness.