FOB
FOB, but Not About Me
My daughter is getting married, according to the ring on her finger and the knot in my gut. Now, anyone with the ability to identify with Daddies of Daughters (I have two) knows the premise --- No son of Adam is worthy, right? Well, this one is about as close as you can get. They've been friends and/ or "an item" since the gangly age of adolescence. And we all - my wife, other two kids, and extended family couldn't be happier.
He took me to the traditional lunch 2 weeks before the bent knee. I had known him since 7th grade (his, not mine). I even got to share his high school football as a volunteer coach. It's a blessing to see your daughter grow from girl to lady. But to watch the guy go from boy to man is a bonus few FOB's get. He walked into the restaurant with a relaxed smile. I was the nervous one. It took less than five minutes to get to the point. I blurted approval in the midst of a distinct surge of ecstatic nausea. Like putting one foot in the fire and the other in a bucket of ice - hoping to be comfortable on the average. This is a Great thing. These kids are Ga-Ga over each other. I knew that my little girl was going to be Giddy to get his proposal in a couple of weeks. I knew that my little girl was going to be . . . Gone. Whoa.
The role of FOB (in case you haven't decoded, that's Father of the Bride) is that of ballistic novice. After a lifetime of participating in a graduated scale of insightful decisions, you put on a blindfold and run barefoot through a mine filed of exploding expectations. Enter MOB. My wife and I built a house together 17 years ago. With a tight budget, we acted as our own contractor and cut a variety of frugal angles. Miraculously, we got to keep the marriage and the house. Now, we have almost as much time to pray for the Wall Street bull to whip the bear. If that fight continues to shrink resources, it may effect this memorable occasion. But, it'll be June, so we have options. What could be prettier than honeysuckle? And for the reception - I'm thinking Pot Luck. Why not? These kids grew up in the same church - in a fried chicken courtship. Shouldn't their launch be consistent?
I'm less than a week into this. One step at a time, right?
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