OK. We've got BIG NEWS here. Last night my oldest son sent me a picture text with a photo of Captain Picard (from Star Trek) with the word "ENGAGED" under it. Yes, my first-born is officially engaged! His bride-to-be just happens to be my oldest daughter's roommate. Perhaps we should nickname our oldest daughter, Yente. (As in, "Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match.") In any case, we're smiling up a storm here.
Then, the significance and magnitude of this step hits me. My son will be all grown up. Never mind that he has lived away at college for several years. Never mind that he managed to serve a mission in Japan for two years without me. Somehow, in my unreasonable mind, I now have a deadline by which I need to have transferred all my wisdom, knowledge, and motherly advice. I recognize the ridiculousness of that thinking, but that doesn't prevent the thoughts from coming anyway. (Not that I can think of anything profound to tell him, just that I need to make sure I've told him whatever it is prior to his wedding.)
Also, I find myself wondering, what should I give as a wedding gift? I love the idea of just whipping up a traditional double ring wedding quilt--handpieced, of course--or compiling a cookbook of treasured family recipes (complete with photos) which have been handed down from generation to generation. Then I remember that my last attempt at making a pieced quilt started about 20 years ago, when JoAnn's introduced their "Quilt Block of the Month", and ended about 10 years ago, when I decided to get rid of my guilt by donating the unsewn pieces to Goodwill.
Fortunately, this morning I attended a wonderful women's conference at the church, which basically let me know to just chill out. One of the speakers mentioned that when she was a young bride and her parents would come visit, she would spend hours cleaning before their arrival--so much so that her back would ache by the time they arrived, and she couldn't enjoy their visit. I could relate. I remember one time when the kids got all excited when they saw me mopping the kitchen floor: "Is Grandma coming?" (No, but obviously I need to mop more often!)
Seriously, though, I often find myself cleaning/organizing the most unlikely spots when I'm expecting guests. One time I battled the master bedroom closet. What was I thinking? First of all, no one would ever see it anyway, and secondly, so what if they did? Would my parents disown me or my in-laws shun me if they discovered closet clutter? NO! They are all wonderful, non-judgemental people who love me.
I've learned to relax a bit over the years, though I am embarrassed to say the closet incident happened relatively recently. So, I'm obviously not exactly where I want to be yet on the calm, cool, and collected scale. I'm also relatively certain I cannot become an accomplished quilter prior to the wedding. So, if any of you readers have a fantastic idea for a meaningful yet practical wedding gift that I can make, I would love to hear it!
Thankful thought: Thanks for marriage. I'm so excited (if you can't tell) for my son and his bride-to-be!
Then, the significance and magnitude of this step hits me. My son will be all grown up. Never mind that he has lived away at college for several years. Never mind that he managed to serve a mission in Japan for two years without me. Somehow, in my unreasonable mind, I now have a deadline by which I need to have transferred all my wisdom, knowledge, and motherly advice. I recognize the ridiculousness of that thinking, but that doesn't prevent the thoughts from coming anyway. (Not that I can think of anything profound to tell him, just that I need to make sure I've told him whatever it is prior to his wedding.)
Also, I find myself wondering, what should I give as a wedding gift? I love the idea of just whipping up a traditional double ring wedding quilt--handpieced, of course--or compiling a cookbook of treasured family recipes (complete with photos) which have been handed down from generation to generation. Then I remember that my last attempt at making a pieced quilt started about 20 years ago, when JoAnn's introduced their "Quilt Block of the Month", and ended about 10 years ago, when I decided to get rid of my guilt by donating the unsewn pieces to Goodwill.
Fortunately, this morning I attended a wonderful women's conference at the church, which basically let me know to just chill out. One of the speakers mentioned that when she was a young bride and her parents would come visit, she would spend hours cleaning before their arrival--so much so that her back would ache by the time they arrived, and she couldn't enjoy their visit. I could relate. I remember one time when the kids got all excited when they saw me mopping the kitchen floor: "Is Grandma coming?" (No, but obviously I need to mop more often!)
Seriously, though, I often find myself cleaning/organizing the most unlikely spots when I'm expecting guests. One time I battled the master bedroom closet. What was I thinking? First of all, no one would ever see it anyway, and secondly, so what if they did? Would my parents disown me or my in-laws shun me if they discovered closet clutter? NO! They are all wonderful, non-judgemental people who love me.
I've learned to relax a bit over the years, though I am embarrassed to say the closet incident happened relatively recently. So, I'm obviously not exactly where I want to be yet on the calm, cool, and collected scale. I'm also relatively certain I cannot become an accomplished quilter prior to the wedding. So, if any of you readers have a fantastic idea for a meaningful yet practical wedding gift that I can make, I would love to hear it!
Thankful thought: Thanks for marriage. I'm so excited (if you can't tell) for my son and his bride-to-be!
Congrats! But no suggestions. Love to hear what you end up doing.
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