Weddings are a time of reunion.  It was no different in our family. The young couple was all aglow and ready to start a new life.  The guests were eager to celebrate with them.  Relatives were arriving from everywhere. When there’s a wedding in this family, we use the time to catch up with each other.  It’s like a big homecoming.

It had been quite a while since I’d seen my son.  The years had been good to him.  He seemed stronger.  There was something different about him.  It was an inner something.  He seemed wiser somehow.  He was always a smart boy – but now he seemed to have a broader knowledge – the kind that comes from experience.

I knew from the day I first held him in my arms that he was going to be different. Oh, I know – that sounds like a proud mother speaking.  Doesn’t every mom hope for the best for their children?

When I saw him  at the gate, I ran to meet him.  I suppose young men get a bit embarrassed when their mothers do such things, but it had been so long and he didn’t seem to mind.  He was glad to see me too

The party was wonderful.  We talked for hours about what was going on in his life and what his goals were.  His voice seemed full of determination.  Where was the little boy of long ago?  He had become a man and seemed so confident.  There was a quiet strength about him that made me see that his real work in life had finally begun.

I remembered the little boy I carried – the child at play with bruised knees – the little man that so wanted to learn his dad’s business.  No longer needing me to help him through any crisis – this boy was now a man and ready to do his father’s work.  Little did I know where that work would take him.  What I did know was that he was ready and willing to do whatever it took.

And then it started.