Days of laughter, days of tears

So here’s the thing about wedding receptions when your son is the Best Man. Sometimes it takes twenty years to find out that one of the little neighbor boys spent the better part of a day tied up in your garage.

After this wedding toast revelation, the Groom’s mother and I spent a few minutes wondering what else we didn’t know back when our boys were smaller, louder, and somewhat messier than they are now. Probably quite a lot. Even so, we got a little misty thinking of those days when there were little boys in many of the homes on either side of our tree-lined street. We talked about the days of tears and laughter. Days of bee stings, acorn wars, and empty Freez-ee wrappers stuck to the driveway. The pizza parties and Pokemon cards strewn about. It was a busy, sticky, time of our lives. What mother of little boys does not wish for just one more day of it once they are grown?

On Friday, her fair-haired boy married his true love, a dark-haired beauty in a flowing, white gown. All their people witnessed the miracle of what Love can accomplish. I took notes during the final embrace of that mother and her son before he stepped up to the altar to join hearts and hands with his beloved. Then, after the vows, there was joy and laughter, music and food. And thanks to the Best Man, some pretty good stories, too.

At long last, they are grown, these sons of ours.

No wonder weddings make Moms like us a little misty.