Dear Reader:

When I came across this poster…I knew what direction my thoughts were going to head today…to blessings and prayer.

A few weeks ago Kaitlyn texted me and asked if I would be willing to say a blessing and prayer during the wedding ceremony. I assured her I would be glad to…She suggested…perhaps even an Irish blessing as a send-off for their honeymoon.

So I started looking through Irish blessings…Mandy had Carrie read one at her wedding which was beautiful. But after going through several dozen Irish blessings…none of them seemed to fit what I was feeling inside.

It was then that I realized I needed to provide my own story and perspective of why their union was a blessing for me.

As I started organizing my mental thoughts on to written text early Saturday morning I realized that  prayers and blessings (standing at the altar) were Tommy and Kaitlyn.

I saw the irony (and God’s sense of humor) in the fact that Kaitlyn asked me to provide blessings and they had already been provided by God. (The two most important blessings were standing side by side… already in place.)

Kaitlyn also asked me about a prayer…not knowing that SHE was the answer to my prayer…for my “child” Tommy to find that special person to complete him and change him…show him a new perspective on life…and that she did.

It is every mother’s hope and prayer that their children will find that special someone to start a new beginning with…to intertwine their two paths together.

Anne…I held up your stone with the word B E G I N ( The one you gave me five years ago when I was trying to find the courage to start the garden…my foremost dream for my retirement years…Life’s Beginnings Part Two.)   

Beginnings are tough…Think back on your dreaded homework, required essays, term paper assignments or looming project deadlines. We probably spent more time complaining and worrying about them than just getting the courage or gumption to simply begin.

After the start (the beginning)…the rest is mostly down-hill.

Personal beginnings are even tougher. When we enter any kind of personal relationship with another…at some point we have to be willing to leave our comfort zone and take a leap of faith..(secretly terrified of rejection and hurt.)

But as I told the gathering Saturday afternoon…we were all there  as witnesses to the success of Tommy and Kaitlyn’s beginning relationship (classmates at law school, friends, and then more) ending on this special day in a commitment of love to each other in front of family and friends.

We were, also, witness to the multitude of bountiful blessings surrounding this special occasion personified by the number of dream-catchers blowing in the gusty breezes around the ceremony.

My prayer ended with a saying that popped up in the recesses of my memory box out of no where, but one I liked a lot because of its simplicity and truth.

“The life and love we create (through God) is the life and love we live.” 

It is up to us to create the life we want to live. My prayer for Tommy and Kaitlyn is that they create a most beautiful life and lasting love together.

It takes a lot of “girl time in pj’s” to pull off the fashionista look but it was accomplished with beautiful results by one and all!

Kaitlyn and Tommy gave me a bag (MOG engraved on it…Mother of the Groom) at Christmas (for the wedding) and did it ever come in handy!

I could put everything in it that I needed…a type of survival kit for emotionally spaced-out mothers of the bride and groom. I love it!

I gave it to the bartender to safeguard during the ceremony and forgot all about it since there were photographers taking all kinds of pictures…. for once I just wanted to enjoy the moment… face-to-face and not behind an Iphone camera.

However, as the sun began to set in its breathtaking backdrop on the water, I was compelled to retrieve my “survival kit” and take some photos of it and the last part of the evening. Here’s a glimpse of Tommy and Kaitlyn’s waning hours of the wedding.

…And to think it all started with a special delivery and ended with a dance.