My sister and I have always thought that it was pretty cool that we got to have kids that got along like siblings. They are each our onlies; she has a son, I have a daughter. They know each other's friends well, and we have found great pleasure in the kids' friends too. Yesterday, the first of this group was married. We'd managed to escape this particular trauma for longer than most parents, but the day had finally arrived.
Sonny has been part of the extended family since he and Rob became friends in 7th grade. 
He met Andrea a few years ago when the kids all took jobs at the Renaissance Faire nearby, and the rest is as they say, history.
The wedding was beautiful, planned down to the finest detail, and the food was absolutely amazing. Still, I couldn't at first shake the feeling that the walls were closing in. And then, as I looked over at Maryanne and saw her tearing up it hit me - they weren't ever going to be a gang of kids anymore. Our children had moved up a step on the ladder. They are adults, and we can't deny it.
Somewhere between the crab cake table and the 4th or 5th waiter bearing tasty morsels - or maybe it was the wine - I surrendered. I watched the kids dance together, and I watched Molly converse with the adults without a care in the world. I watched her move through the whole thing full of confidence and excitement, and realized that she is fully prepared for the world.
Sonny and Andrea (now known as "the Harmans") beamed as their day went on, and they both looked like they were clear on their course, sure of each other - and sure of themselves.
The antics on the dance floor were hilarious.
Our friend Val was there, and that was just a bonus. We haven't had a chance to sit and talk for years, and that was wonderful. Here she is with Maryanne and Bob.
And so, another chapter begins. I hope this book never ends.
