Thoughts Stemming from my Daugher's Wedding.

Sunday is going to be a big day in our family.  My baby girl is getting married.  It that is not an occasion for reminiscing I don't know what is. 

She was born at the Moncrief hospital on Fort Jackson, SC in 1988.  Made her twenty-three this year but she is still my baby girl.  And, I don't know where all those intervening years have gone. 

She was concerned whether I would be able to walk her down the aisle.  I have developed a bad hip and from that I am having quite a bit of knee pain.   It may come closer to 'limping' her down the aisle but there is no way I'm letting leg pain keep me from doing that.

I'll rub down my leg with pain cream (odorless) before we leave for the chapel.  I'll take one of my narcotic pain pills and a couple of OTC Ibuprofen  about thirty minutes prior to the walk through.  That should carry me through.  My wife will be driving to the wedding.  I have and old Ford Ranger with a stick shift and anymore the only place I drive it is to work and back.

But if it is anything like I remember my oldest daughter's wedding that 'step, pause, step' pace should fit right into my limp, timing wise.  :-)

I like the man who is going to be my last son-in-law.  I think he will make a good husband and great father.  Those two jobs are one's I found myself to not be very good at.  I am sure my daughter is going to be a wonderful Mom as well. 

Shame, though, they did not get married on September 10th.  9/10/11.  Be hard for a man to forget his anniversary with those numbers. 

Trivial, I know, but after her wedding I'll be the only VanHoose in Columbia, SC.    If one counts the 'family line' as passing down through males it makes me (and my older brother) the last ones of our particular family.  He had daughters and I had daughters.  My sister had boys but they do not pass along the family name. 

Well, at least the OFFICIAL family line.  From what I know of my grandfather and my own father there might be quite a few unknown cousins of mine running around out there somewhere.  :-)

In almost every way this wedding will be a joyous occasion for all.  At the same time I feel some melancholy.  When in the world did I get this darned old?