Grace Happens: Mother of the Groom

Tomorrow, our Son and Daughter-in-Love will celebrate their first anniversary. A year ago tomorrow, I danced with my Son at his wedding.

See the young man on Son's left? That's Skater Boi. He's our Son's best friend and he spent a lot of his teenage years at our house. His biological dad lives in Florida with his 'other' family. His mom and step-father moved to Las Vegas and didn't tell him until right before the move. He was still living at home and putting himself through college. He's paid for her bad choices emotionally and financially.

He's had a really tough life for a 26 year old. I could understand if he chose to drink and do drugs. I could understand if he was a menace to himself and others, a unproductive member of society. I could readily understand if he chose to be a victim of his circumstances.

But, HE DIDN'T and HE HASN'T. Skater Boi has a deep-set of morals and values, something he didn't get from the 'responsible' adults in his life. He's worked very, very hard ... put himself through college ... has a decent job ... and now ... a WIFE.

I was honored (and totally surprised!) to be asked to dance the Mother-Son Dance with this awesome young man at his wedding to Maddo yesterday. Actually, I shared the honors with Mama Luce - another woman from the same small town who loves Skater Boi as much as I do. She and her husband shared "custody" of SB with us. Mama Luce and I were in tears. After the dance was over and we were sitting back at our table, I looked at her and said, "We did a damn good job raising that boy!" She laughed. We cried some more and hugged each other fiercely, our husbands wiping tears away from their own faces.

You just never know. It doesn't cost you any extra to be good and kind and compassionate and loving and firm and fair. And when you're raising children, what's one or two more? My heart is big enough to love more than just our biological children. You just never know.

Skater Boi (top) Mike (L)