Family

Our son Adam and his sweetheart Dani were married on September 20, 2014 at Olympia’s Valley, a rustic farm in the rolling hills of Petaluma, California.

Here are selected photos from this happy occasion, which gathered a hundred and fifty family and friends from around the world.

The wedding started with a ceremony under the chuppah by the pond …

… followed by a reception and hora dance with ritual chair rising …

… and even wider circle dances across the lawn. More >>

We were all blessed by a thousand cranes lovingly prepared by Phyllis: they swayed in the wind under a willow tree, as a graceful tribute to our two love birds. More >>

Throughout the day, I asked family and friends to write down their wishes for the newlyweds. We’re grateful to all for sharing their hopes, dreams and words of advice. More >>

The celebrations continued through the evening, with a lovely dinner, toasts and dancing in the barn. More >>

Adam-Dani-Wedding-Favorites-Photo-01

The night before, we hosted a welcome dinner at the Petaluma Library, where many friends and family members joined us to toast Adam and Dani. More >>

One of the highlights was this video of Adam and Dani growing up and joining with each other: it brought back many fond memories for us — and a few tears of joy. 🙂

We are lucky to be part of such a creative and diverse community, bringing together jewish, christian and many other cultures and perspectives. We all seemed to share an appreciation for social change — and for the cosmic dance of life.

See our photo album for more pictures. Many of these photos were taken by other family members, such as Benedicte and Claude Florin, as well as Tony and Margie Bartovich, to name but a few. I’m very grateful to them for capturing these memories.

Thanks to all who joined us for this important rite of passage!

My mother passed away in her sleep a day before Christmas.

She was a smart woman and a devoted mother — and taught us a sense of responsibility, determination, idealism and individualism. She had a difficult life, but made the best of it over the years. I learned a lot from her and will remember her fondly.

Sanda Florin, née Bossy (1926-2013) was romanian (from the respected Cantacuzino family), so a friend suggested we play this romanian folk song (Joc de Leagane) at her memorial. It’s called the ‘dance of the cradle’ and is meant to depict a tender relationship between a mother and her daughter. This is the kind of love that was often missing from her life, and I wish we could go back in time and share more of it all around.

Like my father before her, she asked that her ashes be spread over Lake Geneva, by the shores where they first met and spent much of their lives.

Rest in peace, Maman.

The photos from this video are posted here. You can learn more about Maman in this family archive.

Fabrice Florin

Be good. Do good.

Category Archives: Family

Adam and Dani’s Wedding

Maman Requiem