Essay
The Wedding
Several months ago, my daughter Camille told me she was getting married. I was happy for her and her young man. He was a very nice guy with a promising future.
Last weekend we went to try on wedding dresses. As I looked at Camille standing there gazing at her reflection in the mirror, my mind wandered back to another time and place.
"Her eyes are beautiful," I remember my husband saying as the doctor laid her tiny body in my arms. I looked down at this precious miracle and smiled. Her eyes were black, like a starless night, and she had hair to match.
In the days that followed, I began to map out her life for her in my mind. She would turn many a young man's head with those dark features, but I would have to teach her that looks weren't everything; that to succeed in life, she would have to work hard and be strong.
As she grew, I saw her personality take shape. She had an infectious grin bordering on mischievous. She was always running to keep up with her two brothers and her sister. She was a determined little girl. I remember one day, she was trying to stack some blocks. They kept falling. She was not discouraged though and kept trying again and again to stack them up. Finally, when the blocks were in a neat little pile, she turned to me with a triumphant smile. I knew then that she would not be a quitter.
"Mom, how does it look?" she asked me now, bringing me out of my reverie.
"It looks beautiful," I replied, smiling.
Looking at my woman-child in this gown of white satin and lace, I see a part of myself. I remember my own wedding day and how happy I was. I was still very young, but I knew it was right. I was in love. Now, some twenty years and five children later, I am on my own again. My life has come full circle. When I witness the marriage of my child, it will be with the hope that it is lasting. I have to believe that it will be forever.
The next six months will be hectic, but I am ready for the challenge. I'm sure my daughter will have me running in circles, but I will try to stay calm. One quality Camille does not possess is patience. She has none, so I will have to have it for the both of us.
I look forward to that last day in July when Camille is standing at the altar with her intended. I will remember again the little girl trying to stack blocks on our living room floor and her triumphant smile when she succeeded. I might even cry, but they will be tears of joy.
I was born and raised in Michigan, but now reside in Texas. I have been writing for two and a half years and have been published in EWG Presents, The Rose and Thorn and St. Rose Press, and have also recently placed in a literary short story contest. Currently, my story, "The Dream," is being featured as the short story of the month at St. Rose Press. The Wedding will be included in the book, Chocolate for The Young Woman's Soul, due out next April.
I an also an assistant editor on The Rose And Thorn e-zine and currently serve as a judge in one of the writing contests of AOL's Amazing Instant Novelist forum (if you're on AOL, keyword: NOVEL). At present, I'm working on completing a novel -- a mystery/thriller -- which I hope will be published one day.
Please enjoy The Wedding and let me know your thoughts. Thank you.
Wedding Day by Sylvia Murray is available at Art.com
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