05-31-14
Watching our son get married was a bit different for me than watching our daughters. Those of you who know me well know that I absolutely adore my daughters, but there’s something about a mom and her son… Somehow those little boys get under your skin in an unexplainable way. I looked at my hand-some, grown up man-of-a-son, holding the hands of his beautiful bride and vowing to love, lead, provide and protect her, and as I did he caught my eye and smiled his crooked little smile in my direction.
For the life of me I still saw a five year old with chubby little cheeks, a freckled little nose, dancing blue eyes, and a crooked little grin from nerve damage at birth. The pediatrician called it Bell’s Palsy, and reassured me at the time by saying, "Some day a little girl will fall in love with that crooked little smile. You’ll see." He was right. I remember the days Jeffrey climbed up in my lap in the rocker when he had fever, and we rocked for hours, or the days he snuggled on my shoulder for re-assurance, or the many days he urged me to come watch him shoot baskets in the afternoons, or the marathon Monopoly games we played, ten minutes at a time, before bedtime all winter long...Prom, graduation, college, graduation from Navy OCS. Time flies is an understatement. As best we can, we cherish the moments. As best we can, we slow it all down and drink it all in. As best we can, we trust our kids to Jesus.
So if anyone is interested, I started crying when Titus (my 7 year old grandson) escorted his 86 year old great grandmother (my mom) down the aisle. It was a beautiful day to welcome a new daughter to the family, and a beautiful beginning to happily ever after. Congratulations Jeff and Jenna Marshall!
