Is this the little girl I carried?
Over the weekend I sang at a wedding like I have done a hundred times before. But this time, I took my wife and two daughters with me. Although giving pause at the lure of wedding cake, my son had a better offer. To him this could have included being thrashed repeatedly with wet noodles (not really a wedding kind of guy). My daughters on the other hand were completely enthralled with all the pageantry that only a West Texas church of Christ wedding could muster. My youngest, Addie, became so excited that her case of hiccups will forever be included on the video of the blessed event. But it was Michal Kate, my six year-old who was most taken by what took place. She actually writes well for a kindergartner, but I am sure she could not have taken notes fast enough to justify all she was soaking in. So she asked questions on the fly.
Why are they throwing flowers?
Why is preacher Mike up there?
Why are they called bridesmaids?
Why is that one pregnant?
I know these were probably valuable teaching moments but the circumstances made that difficult. But there were important lessons to be learned for children and adults alike and this was a good wedding for driving some of those lessons home.
First, for children, I believe it is important for them to see a proper union of two upstanding and popular young people when this image is becoming more and more rare. While this bride and groom were by no means peers for my daughters, there is an impression more deeply made by people on the edge of youth than there will ever be by parents in some situations. To be sure, the parents may leave the deepest impression over time, but occasional events like this are also pivotal.
Second, my wife was struck once again by the importance of praying for the future spouses of our kids. While "Somewhere in the World" had become something of a sappy wedding song me, to her it's sappiness has not detracted from the important message it conveys. The fact is, she's right. And I have prayed these prayers with renewed vigor ever since. I'll let you know how it turned out when my daughters go on their first dates in about 25 years.
Why are they throwing flowers?
Why is preacher Mike up there?
Why are they called bridesmaids?
Why is that one pregnant?
I know these were probably valuable teaching moments but the circumstances made that difficult. But there were important lessons to be learned for children and adults alike and this was a good wedding for driving some of those lessons home.
First, for children, I believe it is important for them to see a proper union of two upstanding and popular young people when this image is becoming more and more rare. While this bride and groom were by no means peers for my daughters, there is an impression more deeply made by people on the edge of youth than there will ever be by parents in some situations. To be sure, the parents may leave the deepest impression over time, but occasional events like this are also pivotal.
Second, my wife was struck once again by the importance of praying for the future spouses of our kids. While "Somewhere in the World" had become something of a sappy wedding song me, to her it's sappiness has not detracted from the important message it conveys. The fact is, she's right. And I have prayed these prayers with renewed vigor ever since. I'll let you know how it turned out when my daughters go on their first dates in about 25 years.
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