Preparing for a wedding can be tricky, even if it’s not yours.
Especially if it’s not yours.
Especially if, to pick a purely and totally hypothetical case, the wedding in question belongs to your daughter, your baby, the one you didn’t just watch grow up, but actually grew up alongside of. The always changing, yet comfortingly consistent part of your adult life.
The preparations are tiring and time consuming. The task oriented part of your brain begins to look forward to the completion your labors, “Just seven weeks to go,” it says.
And the rest of the brain is comforted by the news…until the slower moving emotional part catches on:
That’s when she leaves.
That’s when everything changes.
You remember earlier challenging times: diapers, tantrums, naps, and the fuzzy, unfocused wish for her eventual autonomy.
But as the moment approaches you realize you didn’t mean it. You never meant it.
And you scrape together your sanity for the fifteenth time.
And you play captain to the undisciplined mess of your emotions, calming them with a confident sounding command:
“Steady as she goes boys,
steady as she goes…”
15 replies on “Steady”
Oh, wait – here’s a comment:
Well said.
Tear. No, really.
Oh, plus I didn’t want to hear the crazy little man sing again. ;)
How sweet!
Sap-o-meter is off the chart!
Quit making me cry!
I’m with Camille. By virtue of reading this I’m almost sure I got new cavities.
Does Memphis Connect handle a lot of advertising for dentists?
(I’m on to you, Brent.)
Made me tear up…at work…
Maybe you should rent that little obscure Steve Martin film, “Father of the Bride” and see how he handled it.
Thanks everyone. This has been a beautifully awkward time, everything seems saddled with extra emotional weight but yet I’m not ready for it to end.
Like some strange parallel dimension, I find myself living out scenes from a chick-flick, one I definitely don’t remember auditioning for.
And just think – someday you’ll get to do it all over again. :D
Very nicely said, Brent. Um, I didn’t tear up or anything, though. Really. Just got a bit of dust or something in my eye, that’s what it is, yeah.
Yeah, Jeff
Dust that was it!
I’m sure a lot of guys are having that problem after reading this. I think it is an epidemic.
Very Sweet!
A very Happy Father’s Day to you Brent.
I hope your Summer is going well.
And I liked that crazy little man. Clicked on it twice just to hear him croon. lol
:)
~ZZ
First time visiting your blog. Very touching post, I wasn’t expecting such a well thought out snapshot of your life. Well done.
Thanks again to all. Things are getting better except now it’s six weeks….
(sigh)
Dude, You were the first of our friends to have a child (not just any child but my God-Daughter) get married. I believe after sitting at the reception and realizing that of all of our friends, WE will likely be the next to have a child get married and that I will need the counseling of the infamous zombie curer, Dr. Tobbogans. To top it off I was “treated to” your daughter tossing the bouquet and my daughter catching it. As she turned 14 today, it WILL be quite awhile before she walks the aisle. However, I do believe with the amount of counseling I will need, we should start immediately! Let me know when your/his first available appointment is!