What an amazing weekend

Exhausting but wonderful. Being able to witness 'little' Brigitte marry her Marine was an honor. They are such a beautiful, faith-filled couple and so obviously in love. I was, of course, a puddle when she and her father appeared in the doorway to the church.
So happy for her, so sad for her Daddy, knowing that these days weren't all that far in my future too.

We went from one day celebrating a marriage just beginining to celebrating a marriage that had last 50 years. The party my sil's Joan and Melissa organized for my in-law's was phenomenal. A beautiful setting and more importantly a fairly complete gathering of the entire immediate family and close family friends. After a Mass in honor of Mom and Pop and a renewing of their vows, the family gathered that evening. The best part of the evening wasn't the food or the drink or the chatting or the music. Far and away the absolute best part was listening as person after person got up and told Mom and Dad what they meant to them and in many instances what they had learned from them. Sometimes funny, sometimes nostalgic but each and everytime from the heart. This went on for over an hour but was never boring, no one looked at their watch once wondering 'When will this be over?!' Many of the 'kids' of my generation, deep in the throes of parenting, took a lot away from this celebration. There was much to ponder after seeing the result of 50 years of marriage and parenthood.





More pictures later when Blogger isn't so tempermental.