Chinese Weddings in America

Our best friends' wedding! July 11, 2007

I love to see immigrants come to America, contribute their energy to grow and improve our country, and quickly become part of America's family. Yesterday we were privileged to be invited to one small chapter of the growing story of the formidable friendship between America and China: the American wedding of our good Chinese friends.

Zheng SongFeng and JoAnn Du (Du Juan) got married here in Los Angeles. It was a fantastic day and evening. What a great way to celebrate their love and commitment to family.

To make the day even happier, their friends Mr. Liu Ziqiang and Ms. Zheng Yuhui decided to get married on the same day, same place, and almost same time. Great friends help bring great fortune. The two couples were able to enjoy a 2-for-1 wedding discount!!

Apparently July 11, 7-11 in numbers, is a lucky day according to Chinese fortune tellers. The lucky husbands knew that they will receive constant reminders of their anniversary whenever they drive past the numerous 7-11 convenience stores in America. Even better, if the men happen to forget their anniversary until the last second, they can quickly stop in a 7-11 store and buy some inexpensive candies and chocolates for anniversary gifts.

Of course I am joking a little bit. Even geniuses-in-training like these two men should have enough common sense NOT to purchase their anniversary gifts at convenience stores. Hopefully they will remind each other in advance to buy something good (and hide the amount that was spent from their Ministers of Finance...er...wives.)

The two couples celebrate the same happy wedding day. Happy friendship, new families, and new homes. Above the four happy newlyweds are the flags of the United States, State of California, and Los Angeles County. Friends, welcome to America! Thanks for joining our diverse international community that contributes so much to America's success.

SongFeng is a very happy and lucky husband. His beautiful wife JoAnn takes great care of him and supplies much of the family's finances while he pursues his dream to earn a PhD from UCLA. Soon SongFeng will learn that men are far more successful and happy in their careers and life when married to a great lady. Men want to impress their ladies and make them proud. JoAnn is very clever. Making her proud will take SongFeng's best efforts. He has great achievements in his future.

JoAnn also is living the American / Chinese dream. She graduated from a good university in China, worked for awhile, then came to America to get a graduate degree from Notre Dame university. Now she works for a prestigious engineering company that helps provide technology for new factories in China and other parts of the world. (OK...she works for me, the not-so-humble Roaming Ronin.)

We all enjoyed the wedding, dinner, and lots of talking together. My wife Wonderful Jane and I were treated like part of the family. Our young friend Lisa was the honored Flower Girl.

The evening ended with an omen of long life and happiness. Just as we left the restaurant after the wedding dinner, a HUGE full moon greeted the new married couples by rising above the horizon in the moon's best splendor. Mother Moon was very big and bright while she smiled down over a clear, cloudless night with warm temperatures and a soft breeze. This is one of the best signs that God is smiling on SongFeng and JoAnn.

To our newlywed families: to SongFeng and JoAnn, to Ziqiang and Yuhui : CONGRATULATIONS!!! Wonderful Jane and I pray that your marriage brings you a long life of happiness and shared challenges together.