Milestones along the road of Life

You'll pardon me if this blog sounds a little sappy, but I just survived the wedding of my third child, and I admit that I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, humbled, and overly-sentimental right now. The feeling in the pit of my stomach is a combination of relaxed nerves and flu. I'm both relieved that it's over and disappointed that I couldn't sustain that emotional HIGH much longer.

I keep going over and over the pictures, picking out the unexpected glance of a grandchild, peeking around a church pew, the enigmatic look in my son Matthew's eyes, as he dances with his little sister, the slant of light coming in the stained glass windows... a rush of images that will last a lifetime.

I wish I could have enjoyed it fully at the time, but I was too caught up in the rush of the moment, making sure that the shoes were where they were supposed to be, lighting the taper..... I guess that's why we take so many pictures--so we can look back and enjoy the moments that we were too rushed to appreciate at the time.

Life is like that. Now that the wedding is over, I'd like to relive parts of it - seeing my two Minnesota granddaughters (3 and 5), dressed in sparkly purple, walking down the aisle, scattering rose petals - my four-year-old grandson, blue eyes wide with nervousness, as he waited at the door with the ring-bearer's cushion.

At the rehearsal, his mama put her face near his and explained, "Now, Evan, you have to walk up the aisle and down this way, and you can't cry or be shy (there'll be lots of people). If you do a good job, you can get a new truck!" He did a great job, and he did get a new truck! He also got to meet his cousins from Minnesota, and that was a really special thing, the little boys in their black suits and purple ties, with the pink roses on the lapels. Priceless!

The one-year-old girls, all decked out in black and white dresses, too young to be a part of the ceremony, but so precious as they joined us on the dance floor at the reception. Can all kids dance when they're a year old? So innocent and unspoiled!

My daughter insisted that we engineer the confetti toss at the church. She had eco-confetti (melts in the rain) with lavendar. I was far too cold to smell the lavendar, as we thronged at the base of the church steps and threw our confetti. It fell like snow, and when I saw the photos, I knew why she wanted to do it. Magic!

Her older brother Todd walked her down the aisle, so handsome in his tux with his dark hair like his father's.

Before the wedding, it might have seemed a little silly to put all that time and effort into the tulle decorating the balcony railing, the flowers carried by the bridsmaids, so soon to wither and die.

But, when it all came together, it took my breath away and gave me a memory I'll hold close to my heart forever.

I remember the day you were born, Krissie Nichole. The angels danced and your mama laughed and laughed, when the doctor said, "It's a girl!"

May your life be full of as many blessings as you've brought to me over the years...