Some notes for the Father (and Mother) of the Bride speech:
We'll begin with a question for Andy: we hope you can keep up with
this girl! When Cat was eight, she wrote a book about her brother, Jonny.
Also eight. They are twins, She began with: 'My brother is a very enthusiastic
man.' And, yes, he is. And so is she. She is a very enthusiastic woman. She
lives life at almost breakneck speed, throwing herself wholeheartedly into
everything - and there are many, many 'everythings' - she attempts.
Firstly, she has been organising events since her first tea party
at the age of 4, followed by dressing up, restaurant evenings, magic shows, acrobatics,
dance routines – and that was before she was 11. Be thankful this is not the Cluedo event for
her eighteenth birthday – you might have found yourself having to swap garments
until you were dressed head to toe in only one colour!
We don't need to tell you how highly competent Cat is at managing,
arranging and presenting - this has all been fantastically well-organised with
very little work done by her parents. Excellent. She has been presenting
since she was 3 years old, when she went on stage with a group of older
children at the local pantomime, leading the singing even though she couldn't
read a word of the song.
And if you’ve EVER done anything with her, you will know
that she has lists – and lists of lists. Camping with her is an education. She
works to a tight schedule, days planned down to the last quarter of an hour, if
not minute.
Cat is a good runner, despite numerous warnings about wearing out
her knee joints. She held inter-school cross-country titles in Kenya and still
seems to think that the casual half-marathon is just a walk in the park. Andy,
we're looking to you to get her to think of her knees!
Some years ago, Cat was phoned for a job interview at a
restaurant. After accepting the job, she asked: "What shall I wear - if
anything?" And no, it wasn't THAT sort of a job - you'll be relieved to
know she was a waitress-cum-bottlewasher.
Fortunately, today, she isn't wearing just 'anything' and I'm sure
you'll all agree that she looks gorgeous.
We hope she'll be able to learn how to speak 'Kiwi' better than
she mastered the anomalies of Guernsey's variation on the French language. We
felt really sorry for Mrs Ogier, who she addressed as Mrs Ogre.
She's also well prepared for life in Vanuatu, having adapted well
to the island of Guernsey. She drove, cycled and ran around the whole island -
though she often got lost. Most famously when she took the Wrong Bus home, a
journey she achieved in 3 hours rather than 30 minutes. In typical Cat fashion,
she didn't panic, even though she was then late for everything else she'd
planned that evening.
Most of all, Cat has a tremendous sense of fun. We
watched her finish a ‘short’ run of ‘only’ 16km a while back. Most of the
runners came in, red-faced, out of breath, wheezing past the finishing line.
Cat and Gael could be heard before they even came into sight, sprinting up with
screams of laughter. The chat carried on! Cat’s laugh, accompanied, at times,
by a hearty slap on the thigh, is an infectious mix of gurgle, cackle and
shriek.
But Cat is more than just a superb organiser who loves to
laugh and live life in the fast lane. She is tremendously compassionate and
kind. She is a woman of great integrity, who cares deeply about the plight of
those less fortunate than she – hence she has been highly committed to her work
at CAP for over 5 years, and we know it will be a great wrench for her to
leave. She loves you guys and the work you all do.
Cat has taught us, her parents, a great deal. Her love
for reading reminds us of its value; she never ceases to astonish with her
culinary talents – we’ve learnt a lot more about cooking and baking. Her love
for others is whole-hearted – we have barely ever heard her criticise or say a
negative comment about anyone. She is extremely generous and thoughtful.
Andy, we know – as you know – that you are getting a gem
who is transparent and beautiful inside and out. Proverbs 31 says: “ A good wife....We see the marriage
of the two of you as a beautiful combination which will add value to every
situation you find yourselves in.
Cat and Andy, we know that lighthouses have played a
special part in your courtship, so we leave you with Sir Francis Drake’s
prayer, for you will have many, many wonderful adventures together. Here it is:
"Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when
with the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wilder seas
Where storms will show Your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask you to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push back the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.
This we ask in the name of our Captain,
Who is Jesus Christ.
