Passages

My only godchild was married last Saturday -- as fate would have it, the day was far from perfect, with torrential rains falling as the bride and her attendants entered the church, but Lana's smile as she came up the aisle provided all the sunshine necessary.

The wedding mass was celebrated in St. Joseph's Church in Troy, NY, one of the most lovely churches in our area. The reception was held at the Appel Inn in Altamont, in a quaint barn-like structure with floor-to-ceiling windows and French doors overlooking a wrap-around deck. By the time we reached the inn, the rains had ceased and the clouds were mingling with streaks of blue sky. Such a lovely wedding!!

My thoughts wandered back in time, rmembering Lana and her sisters as curly-haired toddlers. Their mother and I have been friends since childhood and shared the joys and stresses of mothering when our children were young. It seems like a heartbeat ago we were young, energetic and smooth-skinned. Now, we watch these young adults with pride in our hearts and tears in our eyes. Where did the time go? How did these precious little babies grow so quickly -- we thought the early years of diapers and sleepless nights would never end -- and suddenly they are grown, getting married, and having babies of their own.

Life passes -- we transition from one step to another without fully realizing how swiftly the passage goes. One moment we are young mothers with babes at the breast, and in the blink of an eye we are middle-aged grandmothers.

We must all live each moment fully and savor the pleasures, the little joys, and even the times of deep sadness that make up the tapestry of our lives.

In the blink of an eye, my godchild will be the Mother-of-the Bride --