I was supposed to fly in just for the wedding.
In and out. Efficient.
The kind of trip that doesn’t interrupt the flow of work.
But ever since my father passed in January, something in me is different.
Not just intellectually — experientially.
I don’t live to work.
Work is sacred, yes. But there will always be more work.
Moments with the people I love won’t.
So I shifted my week and flew in two days early to help my sister-in-law —
whom I dearly love — who had also come in from New York to set up.
And I’m so glad I did.
In the hours before my nephew’s wedding, I found myself doing things my team usually does for me: steaming outfits, picking up fresh flower necklaces, wrapping gifts she had prepared so lovingly for her new daughter and in-laws.
She rarely asks for help.
But on this trip, she let me in — one tiny task at a time.
Boxing decorated gifts lit with tiny fireflies. Honoring tradition. Trusting me with the details that matter.
The whole weekend felt like that — magical.
Not because of any one moment.
But because of how full the small ones were.
Trying on clothes. Choosing jewelry.
Practicing dances and laughing at how terrible we were.
Second dinners. Early breakfasts.
Tiny rituals that stitched the weekend together like embroidery — barely visible from afar, but essential up close.
What stayed with me most was this:
I felt loved because I was asked to help.
Because she let me carry a piece of her joy.
Because asking is a kind of offering.
And I remembered…
💡 Closeness is built in the ordinary.
💡 Receiving is a form of love.
💡 And asking is one of the most intimate things we can do.
We don’t ask favors of people we don’t trust.
We don’t hand over tasks to people we’re protecting ourselves from.
To ask is to say: I believe you will hold this with care.
I often say my sister-in-law has a hard time receiving help.
But so do I.
My love language is service.
And yet, asking for support still stretches me.
Still teaches me.
This wedding reminded me:
Love isn’t always loud.
Sometimes, it whispers.
Sometimes, it’s a task handed over quietly.
Sometimes, it’s permission to show up in the small things — and be changed by them.
My Nephew Wedding in LA last weekend