“First I want to tell you what my cousin Tammy just said to me.  She told me she had never been to a wedding where everyone in attendance was so genuinly behind the love and commitment of the marriage.  And she is right.  All the love here is genuine.  All of it.

But, you know, last Saturday, we buried my mama.  Well, a few years ago a man I really loved passed away suddenly.  He was the father of a woman I care deeply about.  It was devastating.  The next month, Matt’s first child, Sy was born.  The following summer, Matt’s granddad passed away.  It was equally as devastating.  A couple of months later, Matt and Sherri’s son, Seth was born.  And now – just two weeks after my mom left us, Matt and Sherri are married.  

Last week, I was laying all this chronology out for Matt.  He interrupted, ‘Man, I’m never going to have another child or do anything else good!  I’m afraid someone else will die!’  He missed the point I had yet to deliver.  I wanted to say that Matt and Sherri and their young-ins are what I now call ‘The Happy Family.’  So, here’s to the ‘Happy Family.’”

That was the intended toast.  When my time came to do the fatherly thing that Saturday night, I choked big-time.  I tried to gather myself and say what I had to say.  Then Matt and Sherri’s two-year-old, Seth approached the wedding cake table where we were all standing.  The sweet little guy reached his hand out toward the cake icing, trying to taste just a bit.  Someone grabbed his arm and pulled his hand away from the perfectly iced cake.  Before I could say a word, I stuck my finger into that icing, gathered a good and solid chunk of the stuff on my finger and presented it to Seth.  Then his older brother, Sy walked up, looking for icing.  He, too, had to lick my finger, but Sy also got some.  Well, all that might have helped Seth and Sy, but it did nothing to bolster my emotional state.

I told the small and quaint gathering of family and friends there that the week before I was told by my niece’s husband how obvious it was to him that Matt and Sherri are in love.   That’s all I could manage to say at the time.  The tears came again, and it felt like I had a pound of wedding cake in my throat.  I just looked at my son and his beautiful bride and shook my head, as Sherri said, “Now don’t make me cry.”  Then Matt interrupted, “Just say ‘cheers,’ Dad!”  And so I did.  And I hugged and I cried and I walked away.

My emotions kind of caught up with me that Saturday night.  I just couldn’t finish my tribute to the “Happy Family.”  Thanks for indulging me here and for allowing me to finally give my toast.  And thanks for being at the wedding with us all now on Moon Angels.

Cheers, y’all!

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