All weekend we felt like the punch line to a Jeff Foxworthy joke! You might be a redneck if.............your flower girl has two black eyes! That's right - little Sydney has a goose egg on her forehead and two black eyes. In her words, "I wouldn't get off the swing so my cousin threw a rock at me." She's then quick to assure everybody (and I do mean EVERYBODY) that she has forgiven him and he's still her friend. The rock hit her square in the middle of her forehead, leaving a purply green bump. It looked a little better the next morning. But much to my suprpise (and horror), she had two black eyes when I picked her up from school on the second day. Apparently these injuries tend to travel downward on the face. It was only then that it occurred to me: the wedding! We were due to fly to Kansas 3 days later where Sydney was to be the flower girl in a wedding.
Thus begins the 3 day saga of our weekend spent explaining our black eyed girl to everyone we came in contact with. The flight attendant even announced it over the loud speaker. He was publicly congratulating the groom and thought it would be funny to throw in the story of the flower girl with the "shiners".
There was a lot of emotion surrounding the dress that Sydney wore. It was the same dress that the bride herself wore when she was flower girl in her mother's wedding almost twenty years ago. I could imagine what the mother of the bride was thinking as she watched her grown-up daughter hugging Sydney in that flower girl dress. I know she was thinking it felt like only yesterday. I squeezed her arm knowingly when I saw the tears in her eyes. My own tears came as Sydney made her entrance. You have never seen a little girl looking more proud of herself as she walked down that aisle, meticulously dropping her flower petals.
Right before the wedding ceremony, I left her in the vestibule in the capable hands of the 6 year old ring bearer. I had started to walk away to go find my seat when she called out to me. "Mama! I forgot to give you hugs and kisses!" It was one of those moments when you are aware that a "moment" is happening. I bent to receive my hugs and kisses and told her "Honey, I love you SO much and I'm SO proud of you!" I KNOW that I will remember this someday when I hug and kiss her in the vestibule on her own wedding day. I will say those same words to her and she will be all grown up and dressed in a beautiful gown, but there will be a split second when I will see her as my precious flower girl with two black eyes. And I, too, will feel like it was only yesterday.
The Calling
10 years ago
1 comment:
Great story. You brought tears to my eyes. I can't even imagine my 2 daugter grown up and getting married! It seems too surreal. But, I know that day will come and I know I'll look back just as all mothers do, to when they were little. It will seem like only yesterday. Thanks for expressing yourself so elequently and touching those who read what you write. That was beautiful and I hope you had a great time at the wedding!
Post a Comment