My little sister is getting married tomorrow which is an emotional moment in itself. Tonight we got together to rehearse the big day, and hearing the music to which she would walk down the aisle made me cry. Such pride I felt for my younger sibling in that moment, but that was before the dance.
There’s so many things to think about when planning a wedding, so many details that you want to go just right. On a night like tonight, the rehearsal dinner, you can get lost in all the practicing, timing your steps just perfectly so you don’t race down the aisle. But she didn’t forget.
Daddy. We need to practice our dance.
They did, and as I watched them turn slowly in circles on the wooden platform I thought of how quickly it all goes.
He had walked me down the aisle too, and it didn’t seem that long ago, but even more so I could easily recall sitting in his lap and falling asleep after a bad dream when I was a little girl.
I can remember when he threatened the young man who took me on my very first date, or how he would tell me when he disapproved of my revealing outfit. I wince at the memory of getting in big trouble, and the look of disappointment on his face. It doesn’t seem that long ago.
I watched my little sister in the arms of our father, and I saw her lay her head on his shoulder. She knew. She knew that it went far too quickly. And she knew better than to forget to dance.
I watched my young daughters dancing themselves, and I didn’t miss the fact that they were getting bigger every day. It happened so quickly, and though the busyness of just living could take over, I knew that I couldn’t forget the important things because I was too focused on getting it all right. I couldn’t forget to dance.
As my sister placed her head on our daddy’s shoulder and tears began to flow I knew she felt the speed of it all. She knew that tomorrow she would leave the protection of her father, and she would become one with her husband. But for the moment she just danced.
When I looked at them I didn’t see a grown woman. For just a moment I saw a little girl, and I think our father did too. But I knew that when the music ended the little girl would be gone.
And they would be grateful that they didn’t forget to dance.
ruthiespage says
Beautiful moment
brieann.rn@gmail.com says
Yes. 🙂