I think you'd be surprised how hard it is to find a wedding reading that doesn't include God, Jesus, or some sort of supernatural whimsy. For our wedding a couple weeks ago I was unable to find any that were even remotely honest, scientifically literate, and intelligible. And I happen to share Friedrich Nietzsche's sentiment that "the poets lie too much." So, I wrote my own with a lot of help from Carl Sagan.

Of course, I was somewhat worried that people would hate it or that Tessa's brother Wyatt would simply refuse to read it in front of everyone on our big day. But, quite the opposite happened. So, at the request of some friends... here it is.

"Today, consider the universe and your place in it.
You’re a thinking, feeling, curious, evolved ape on a rotating spheroid hurtling through space.
This pale blue dot is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena.
We are tiny and we are temporary, but don’t fret—be emboldened.
Be emboldened by the urgency and importance that your one single precious life requires—it only underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another.
Tonight, look up at the night sky, consider your relationships, and strive to love deeply and live wildly… today, now, forever.
What will survive of us is love.” ~ Matt Hart

If you liked this, share it, then pair it with a long-form piece I wrote for Medium called "Four Days and Eight Million Years."