| Wedding Toast The following words approximate those that were delivered by Jim in his capacity as Best Man at the wedding of his friends Domenic and Cheryl on May 17, 2003. Dom and Cheryl are good friends of mine, and I am so happy to be here tonight. They are wonderful people, and I wish them all the best. I grew up on Chelsea Street in East Boston, three doors away from the Conte family. I have known them for most of my life, and I have been friends with Domenic since we were teenagers. I could not be happier about Dom�s marriage to Cheryl. She is a kind and wonderful person, and she and I have become close friends. Cheryl has had an amazing effect on Dom. When they first started going out, Dom was uncharacteristically pleasant all the time. He wouldn�t even respond to my joking insults, no matter how much I prodded him. He just looked at Cheryl and made a puppy dog face, and she turned to me and said, �Don�t pick on my D!� He had discovered an unbeatable defense. Right away, Cheryl was accepted into the Conte family. I think they wanted to hang on tight to any woman who would put up with Dom�s constant complaining. Cheryl is in so good that Mr. and Mrs. Conte make special dishes at family meals just for her. I mean, I�ve been going over that house for 25 years, and she never made a special dish for me! But seriously, I cannot imagine a more perfect fit than Dom and Cheryl. She loves to cook, and he loves to eat. It�s a match made�well, if not in heaven, at least in the kitchen. Since so much of my shared history with Dom and Cheryl has to do with food, I want to raise my glass here tonight to say that I wish for this newly married couple a life of abundance -- abundant food, of course, and abundant children, and also abundant happiness and abundant love. Salute! |