"Who is the happiest of men? He who values the merits of others, and in their pleasure takes joy, even as though t'were his own."
-Goethe

It’s been a week of high profile weddings. First there was the American wedding of Jenna and Henry in Crawford, Texas. It was a very tasteful event thoughtfully planned and executed with dignity.

Then we had the Royal wedding of Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. As with all Royal weddings, it was steeped in tradition and executed with great pomp and circumstance.

Both events dominated the news. Today AOL enabled its members to see 101 pictures from the Royal wedding and 10 photographs from the American wedding.

Interesting and beautiful as both these events were, they pale in comparison to the genuine American wedding of Jackie Ross and Tom Romanoski.

You won’t find any news accounts about this spectacular event on AOL, there will be no pictures you can view, but this may be a measure of its importance. This wedding like thousands of others consummated in places of worship and government offices this week are events that speak to the greatness of America.

Jackie Ross walked into our life in September 2000. She came without notice. The paparazzi did not follow and record her every move. We met in the rarified atmosphere of a seminar room. She was one of 20 students. She was challenged and encouraged to do her very best, and that she did.

She enjoyed the experience so much, she declined opportunities to do an internship so that she could continue her study with us in a course called practicum.

She enjoyed the course and its challenges. She was taken by the lessons of Steven Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Restoring the Character Ethic and First Things First: To Live, to Love, to Learn, to Leave a Legacy, two books that provided the road map for what we were trying to teach.

For us it was always about attitude more than mechanics. It was always about keeping students outside their comfort zone. It was always about dreaming and believing. It was always about what Herb Brooks defined so well: “Impossible is just a degree of difficulty.”

In this spirit, Jackie Ross, took advantage of every opportunity that came her way including a trip to Cape May, New Jersey, for a screening of the Cape May episodes of Windsor Park Stories.

She did all this while maintaining a keen interest in her amateur softball team and the responsibilities that came with being the first born of three girls in her family. She knew a good deal about time management.

Whatever she did, and she did more than most, her work was exemplary. What she did and the way she did it was dignified and very classy.

She earned the admiration and the respect of the members of her team and her class.

She was a delight to teach because she wanted to learn, and she understood clearly what we were trying to do in the classroom.

She never complained. She was always respectful and cooperative. Her manners were impeccable, and she loved to learn.

The words on the seminar room wall, loyalty, flexibility, service, enthusiasm, affirmation and leadership were values that motivated her to do her very best.

There was one other important value not recorded on that wall for public view, but always central to what we taught, gratitude. Jackie Ross understood the power of this, the queen of values.

Upon graduation she and two other members of her team presented us with a weeping cherry tree and a homemade plaque. Both found a prominent place in Windsor Park.

Over the years Jackie stayed in touch with us, not because she had to, but because she wanted to. She shared her journey and her life with us.

In July of 2007, she attended the Irish Teachers Festival. After putting in a full day’s work in New Jersey, she drove four hours to be with us. It was a wonderful reunion.

Before she left that evening she visited the Garden of Life. Standing under her weeping cherry tree illuminated by the light of a brilliant moon, she talked about her wedding, and her wish to have wedding pictures taken in this special place.

On May 17, Jackie Ross returned to Windsor Park in a white stretch limousine. Together with her husband, Tom, and the members of her wedding party she walked the red stone paths to the Garden of Life where her photographer recorded the event.

It was a joyful and historic moment. It was a beautiful moment. It was an affirming moment.

This young woman, who was challenged in a way that most students have never been challenged in a classroom, grew, prospered and learned lessons that served her again and again in her professional life.

On this day she stood in front of her tree and a sign that defined her future with a smile that was serene and elegant. Bathed in the light of a cloud-covered sky she radiated happiness and joy as she posed for pictures that will mark this place and time.

Before she left, she and Tom made their way to the Angel Garden and in front of the waterfall and the Angels of Freedom she graced this place for a picture that recorded a smile and a kiss.

Then as the rain began to fall, she gracefully made her way to the Cinderella-like car that would take her to the reception at the Irem Temple Country Club.

As the wedding procession made its way into the afternoon fog, it was apparent that we had experienced a moment of pure friendship, joy and love.

Returning to the garden we stood and looked at the beautiful symbols that remind us every day of the legacy of a young woman who was not born to wealth or position, a young woman who worked hard for everything she earned, a young woman who was an inspiration all those years ago and a genuine friend to this day.

Turning to walk into the house, our eyes caught two words that have been in the Garden of Life since its beginning, Dream and Imagine, how appropriate that they be here on this day of love and friendship.

As day turned into night the words of Ecclesiastes brought us peace of mind and heart :

A faithful friend is a secure shelter;

Whoever finds one has found a treasure.

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