I hope one day I learn to party like Papa Jack. I first met him as he thrust a glass of beer in my hand.
“No, thank you,” I objected.
“You must have a beer.”
“But I don’t drink.”
“Tonight you do.”
With that he turned and walked away, back toward the party. We laughed. After all, we were here at his invitation. Sort of. We were the wedding crashers.
The evening had started with dinner as we listened to the music from the band. Our curiosity eventually got the best of us and we wandered to the edge of the cliff to observe the revelry on the beach below. The setting was fantastic. Folks danced on the floor constructed in the center, surrounded by tables. The silver serving dishes from the buffet traced the edge of the party area.
As we lurked from the cliff, one of the attendees looked up and waved for us to come down. “Come on!” he shouted.
We hesitated for a bit, but eventually decided to go observe the party on the beach level. The bride joined the band and sang a song before calling the groom to the stage. One of the bride’s sisters also sang a song as the party moved onto the stage.
It was just after this that the gentleman who had waved us down came over to greet us. This was Papa Jack – the father of the bride.
Over the next half hour or so we got to meet Papa Jack’s beautiful wife, his three daughters, his new son in law and many other members of the family. The hospitality was amazing.
And this is why I want to party like Papa Jack. It wasn’t the venue, although this was one of the best beach setups I have ever seen for a wedding. It wasn’t the music, although the band was quite good – playing everything from Bruno Mars to Kool and the Gang to the Beatles. It wasn’t the beer.
Here was a man who was busy marrying off one of his daughters. This was a family occasion. No one would blame him for ignoring some foreigners who were roaming the resort. And yet he drew us in.
Life is about relationships. Life is enjoyed best when we are engaging one another and getting to know each other. That’s the real party. Or at least, that’s the one I want to be at.
BTW, Kevin and Bea, if you ever see this blog post, I want you to know that I’m hoping for an invitation when your time comes around. 🙂
Sounds like quite the party!
Hi Jason. Yes, it was a lot of fun.
I thought this was going to Blue Beard party. I’m relieved it only got wild. Thanks for sharing, Chuck!
It was a great banquet, but no Blue Beard – at least not as far as I know. 🙂
Warm hearted people are the example for all of us. I find it sad sometimes that strangers can be more loving and welcoming than the church and Christian friends.
I need to be a bit more like Papa Jack myself…
I couldn’t agree more. It’s amazing how sometimes Christians can be the so exclusive while we have a message that is so inclusive. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
He sounds like a lovely person. I think that if more people were to welcome each other with open arms the world would be a better place for all of us.
I agree, Helen. It’s refreshing to meet people like Papa Jack and we all have the opportunity to be like that.
BTW, I’ve been a bit AWOL on Twitter lately so it’s great to see you here. I hope things are going well for you!
I’m fine Chuck and I hope you are too – I’ve missed you on twitter ^_^
What a story, and yet inside of it I can see a dynamic correlation: foreigners being welcomed into a wedding feast, the bride and the bridegroom. From what I’ve seen in other posts, I know you can see what I’m driving at. This would make a great seque into something one might find in a Guidepost article. Excellent story, Chuck, and an excellent memory.
Thanks, Stephen. I do see where you were going with that. I may play around with that some. Thanks!
Papa Jack sounds like he was in excellent form for the occasion, quite the host, sharing his happiness with all who came near. Must’ve been a great night.
By the way, wanted to let you know separately (in case you want to delete this comment later), I noticed that you misspelled the Beatles (should be “ea” instead of “ee”). Easy mistake to make, and if roles were reversed, I’d certainly appreciate if you pointed it out to me; thought you’d want to know so you can make the correction.
Hi Richard! Thanks for catching that typo. I do appreciate it.
That is a great story, Chuck, and a wonderful illustration of how life should be lived. So I ask myself why I miss the mark, you know? I’m so disenchanted with Twitter and Facebook right now. I thought some mutual support with goals might work, my second checkin with the ROW80 thing and my partner is complaining all over Facebook and her blog because I had not found her at like 8 o’clock this morning to see how she was doing! Now, I just really want to dump that, you know? Then she says, let’s check with each other on Sunday to see how we’re doing, but gives me no email address, I can’t find it anywhere on her blog… I don’t know. I’m just not seeing the “social” in “social networking.” I feel dumb and like I’m from another planet. I’ve noticed you not writing for a while too. You okay? I’m also at akweelife@gmail.com if you’d like to say hi. Email seems the one thing I’m not awful at right now. I do hope everything’s okay with you and your family.