Her Big Day Through Her Father's Eyes
Her big day has finally come. It's the day that he's been dreading for over a year now, ever since hearing the news. But for the sake of her happiness, he will pretend to be overjoyed as he shakes the hand of the man who is taking his little girl away from him forever.
How did it happen that time should have passed so quickly? It seems as if it were just yesterday that he would walk the floor in the dead of night, cradling her tiny body against his chest as she cried and cried. The colic attacks always hit at three in the morning for some reason. He never understood why, and the pediatrician was not much help either. He tried changing her formulas and her feeding schedules, but nothing helped. When the attack was over, he'd marvel at the innocence of her little face as he laid her gently back down in her crib. Then he would return to his own bed, where he'd pull the king quilt over his head and finally go back to sleep.
Thankfully that phase eventually passed, and before long she was swinging along the monkey bars at the local playground with the rest of neighborhood's kids. She soon began to outgrow her clothes at a rate he could barely keep up with. There was not a month that went by when he did not have to head to the nearest department store in search of girls shirts, shorts, and shoes. Sometimes, she had the chance to wear something only once or twice before it grew too small for her.
Then came the teenage years. What a misery those were! He could not count the times he wished her mother were still around to help guide their daughter through them. His little girl's body was changing in ways that challenged and confused her. But how could a father adequately explain the workings of a woman's biology when he had never experienced them himself? Somehow, they muddled through.
Before long she was off to college, and every inch the image of her mother at the time that they first met. His heart ached when he looked at her, and all the bittersweet memories came flooding back. Had it really been only a few short years before she was gone from his life forever?
He was not prepared for the bombshell when she dropped it. The look in her eyes when she as drew his attention to a display of mens wedding bands said it all. Even though it felt as if a part of his soul had died, he put on his biggest smile as he hugged her and wished her all the happiness in the world. And, the truth was, he honestly could not think of a better man for his little girl than Robert.
As he watches them head off on the new life that they will share together, the sadness gives way to the sense of pride that a only a father can feel seeing his little girl all grown up. He is sure that today, on her big day, she was the most beautiful bride of all.
