Play along wis me

Adventure, to me, is the reaching outside the bounds of our comfort zones to touch a moment of joy. Adventure can be found in almost any activity if we are stretching past the familiar and seeking new vistas. Yesterday was not a day of climbing mountains or rafting a raging river but Huffyman was part of the first steps of an adventure that will forever touch many lives. All it took is for a free spirited girl to assert her independence in choosing the man to walk beside her on the path of their shared adventure to open treasured windows that allowed views of an exultant heart …

I looked on her sweet face, all aglow in her smile, and felt lost as to how I should feel. I loved that I couldn’t keep her from climbing the tree in the back yard when she was 4. I loved that after falling on the rough sidewalk and getting the many scrapes cleaned and bandaged, she went running again, just as crazily as before. I cringed and I worried, but I cheered inside. When 5 or 6 years old and in the midst of some drama where reality mixed with play, the musical words spilled from that child’s lips that would define our relationship, “Play along wis me!” I’ll never forget the realization that this child was bright and playful and aware to an extent I have spent the last 15 years discovering. She reached out for me, the little girl with the bandaged knees, and I wrapped my arms around the beautiful daughter in the wedding dress… Tears streaming and heart singing and scared to let her go.

We all sat waiting, family, back at the house. Dave stepped out to applause, followed by Erin in her casual, after-wedding clothes. A couple. Married. Surrounded by smiling strangers who are now family. In another time, she is on a high school stage, alone. The spotlight accuses this girl who bows her head at just the right moment as the narrator reveals the end of the production and the crowd erupts in standing praise for the students who have just given their all and for the last girl in the spotlight who tied up the entire package with the most elegant ribbon and delivered it to all of us in poised fashion. I saw my daughter through new eyes that night. I was amazed at the power of this independent spirit in eliciting reaction from those viewing, and I was amazed at the talent I was viewing for the first time. I was seeing that this beautiful girl was so much more than my daughter. With radiant smile and a bouncy step, she looked at her new husband and her happiness was shared with this new audience. We cheered and I felt like the dad at the high school play… amazed at the love of this girl, at her capacity to give to others and to once again have us on our feet, cheering with all our hearts for her choice and her strength and that smile. Only this time the stage is shared. The beautiful couple.

Asked to pose with my married daughter, who was once again adorned in her wedding dress for the reception, I looked deep... I looked and saw a grown-up Erin. I looked and saw love in her eyes for me. I looked in my heart and saw nothing but mush.  And in her, all poise.  Time to let go. Time for another hug, wanting to hold on but needing to allow her to go. I love you. The words and the tears said the same thing and I walked quickly away… It was time to enjoy the girl and watch the path unwind from a distance. And just as you sweetly sang your request so many years ago, I will always be ready to “play along wis you”, Erin.