Every Mother's Dream

Nate and I got engaged in June 2006.  I had been a flower girl as a five-year-old, and I was set on having one at my own wedding as a twenty-five-year-old.  I just had to find a little girl in the right age range to ask.  Thankfully for me, Nate's cousin had a daughter who was going to be three by our wedding.  I asked her mom if Emily would like to be in the wedding (since asking a two-year-old isn't very helpful), and was shocked by her response:

"It's every mother's dream to have her daughter be a flower girl! Yes!"

From the reaction I got, I would have thought she was the one getting married.  I didn't quite get her excitement at the time.  It's just a little girl in a little white dress, not that big a deal, right?  Then I had a daughter and Nate's sister got engaged.  I waited on pins and needles for my sister-in-law to ask me to have Laura as a flower girl.  And as I happily screamed my excited "YES!" I related the reaction of her cousin a few years earlier.  I didn't know it in June 2006, but I do now: it is every mother's dream to have her daughter be a flower girl.

My little flower girl will be walking down the aisle on Saturday.  I can't wait to see Laura in her pretty white dress, lovingly sewn by her grandma.  I can't wait to see her face as she toddles past all the happy guests in the church.  I can't wait to watch Nate and Laura dance together at the reception.

There is a picture of me and my mother outside the church to my cousin's wedding.  My mother is looking at the camera, her face radiant with happiness for the newly married couple.  I am looking at my basket of flowers, my curled hair falling softly around my face.  I was beaming and shy at receiving so much attention.  I hope I can get a similar picture of me with Laura on Saturday.  I can't wait to see my flower girl.

And a thank you to all my wonderful readers!  This is my 500th post in a little over two years!